EY announces Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2015 Award recipients in the Southwest

DALLAS, June 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- EY has announced the award recipients of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in the Southwest. This group of leading entrepreneurs was selected by an independent judging panel made up of previous award recipients, leading CEOs and other regional business leaders. The award recipients were recognized at a black-tie gala on June 27 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas.

"These entrepreneurs are inspiring leaders demonstrating the dedication and vision it takes to achieve tremendous success," said Debra L. von Storch, EY Strategic Growth Markets Partner. "EY is proud to recognize these entrepreneurs and all of their tremendous contributions." 

The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Southwest panel of independent judges selected two iconic entrepreneurs for recognition:  Doug Parker, Chairman and CEO, American Airlines Group, and Glenn Beck, Founder and CEO, Mercury Radio Arts.

Mr. Parker has worked in the airline business since 1986, when he first joined American.  He has long been a proponent of consolidation in the airline industry, and in 2005, he led a merger of America West and US Airways. In 2013 he helped bring together US Airways and American Airlines, and was named CEO of American Airlines Group. American is the largest airline in the world, with a network throughout North America, the Caribbean, South America, Europe, and Asia. The company is based in Fort Worth, Texas, and runs hubs in Charlotte, N.C., Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Washington DC.

Mr. Beck is not only an American television personality and radio host, but also a successful entrepreneur. Mr. Beck is the leader of an innovative, entrepreneurial spirited media empire.  He is the founder and CEO of Mercury Radio Arts, a multimedia production company that produces and delivers content for radio, television, publishing, the stage, and the Internet. His company is home to the successful entities of TheBlaze, the 1791 clothing brand, and Mercury Ink, a publishing imprint through Simon & Shuster.

In addition to Mr. Parker and Mr. Beck's selection, following are the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015 award recipients:

Consumer Products
Andrew Philipp, Jeremy Rincon and Robby Whites, Co-founders,
Clarus Glassboards, LLC, Ft. Worth, Texas

Emerging Consumer
John Reardon, Founder and CEO, Deep Ellum Brewing Co., Dallas, Texas

Emerging Technology
Mark Dubrow, President and CEO, Onyx Payments, Dallas, Texas

Energy
Greg Lanham, CEO, FTS International, Fort Worth, Texas 

Family Business
Roland Dickey, Jr., CEO, Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc., Dallas, Texas

Financial Services
Scott Everett, President and Founder, Supreme Lending, Dallas, Texas                

Health Services
Rick Allen, President and CEO, Paragon Healthcare, Inc., Dallas, Texas  

Hospitality
Randy Gier, Chief Eating Officer, Rave Restaurant Group,
The Colony, Texas    

Innovation
Amber Venz Box, President and Co-Founder and Baxter Box, CEO and Co-founder, rewardStyle, Dallas, Texas           

Real Estate and Construction
Ron Ross, Chairman and CEO, Gary Swan, Vice President and CFO
Daniel Tinker, President and COO and John Davis, Vice President and General Counsel,                    SRS Distribution Inc., McKinney, Texas               

Services
John Watters, Chairman and CEO, iSIGHT Partners, Dallas, Texas         

Technology/Telecomm
Chris MacFarland, CEO, Masergy Communications, Inc., Plano, Texas   

The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year National Program.  Award recipients in several national categories, as well as the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, Calif. The awards are the culminating event of the EY Strategic Growth Forum®, the nation's most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies. Additionally, venture-backed companies that win an Entrepreneur Of The Year Award regionally are also eligible for the Venture Capital Award of Excellence at the national level.

The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner then moves on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award. Now in its 29th year, the program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries throughout the world.

Sponsors
Founded and produced by EY, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards is sponsored in the United States by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and SAP America. In the Southwest Region, sponsors include BBVA Compass, Colliers International, Haynes and Boone LLP, Roach Howard Smith & Barton, Merrill Corp., bkm Total Office of Texas, D CEO Magazine and SocialStrategy1.

About EY's Strategic Growth Markets
EY's Strategic Growth Markets (SGM) practices guide leading high-growth companies. Our multidisciplinary teams of elite professionals provide perspective and advice to help our clients accelerate market leadership. SGM delivers assurance, tax, transactions and advisory services to thousands of companies spanning all industries. EY is the undisputed leader in taking companies public, advising key government agencies on the issues impacting high-growth companies and convening the experts who shape the business climate. For more information, please visit us at ey.com/us/strategicgrowthmarkets, or follow news on Twitter @EY_Growth.

About EY
EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

EY refers to the global organization and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

This news release has been issued by Ernst & Young LLP, an EY member firm serving clients in the US.

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