Ernst & Young LLP begins its 2013 search for New Jersey's most innovative entrepreneurs

ISELIN, N.J., Feb. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Ernst & Young LLP is calling for nominations for the 27th annual Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year^® Awards, recognized as one of the most prestigious business award programs in the country. The deadline for applications is March 8, 2013, with New Jersey's awards ceremony scheduled for June 13, 2013, at the Hyatt New Brunswick.

Each year, Ernst & Young showcases successful entrepreneurs from more than 140 cities in 50 countries. In 2013, ten entrepreneur leading companies from New Jersey were selected as Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award winners.

Last year, more than 600 entrepreneurs from across the nation were selected as Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award finalists from more than 1,700 nominations. Research compiled from these companies, which together employ nearly 700,000 workers, affirms that, nationally, these innovative, expansion-oriented entrepreneurs continue to grow impressively. They have achieved the following between 2009 and 2011:

• 30% job growth
• 48% revenue growth

"Entrepreneurs continue to be a driving force in leading the economic recovery. Their ability to see around corners and find new, better ways of doing things makes them an engine of growth," said Bryan Pearce, Americas Director of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Program. "The search is on for new award winners to build on the momentum from our 27-year history celebrating entrepreneurship."

Award winners are selected in a number of industry categories by a panel of independent judges, including previous winners of the award, leading CEOs and private capital investors, and other regional business leaders. Entrepreneurs may nominate themselves or be nominated by peers and other business leaders.

"This program honors the outstanding entrepreneurs in our region," said Michael Kacsmar, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Program Co-Director for New Jersey. "These entrepreneurs make our community a better place by providing jobs, developing new products and services, and encouraging economic development. They deserve our support and recognition."

Past award winners have included Howard Schultz of Starbucks Coffee Company, Arthur M. Blank of AMB Group, LLC (Home Depot, Atlanta Falcons), Pierre Omidyar of eBay, Inc., Ruth Fertel of
Ruth's Chris Steak House, Maxine Clark of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Tom Adams of Rosetta Stone, Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn, and 2012 winner Hamdi Ulukaya, founder of Chobani.

The Entrepreneur Of The Year Program honors entrepreneurs regionally in June. All regional honorees are then invited to the national Entrepreneur Of The Year gala on November 16, 2013, in Palm Springs, California. The gala is the culminating event of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum^®, the nation's most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies. For more information on the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum, please visit www.ey.com/us/strategicgrowthforum.

The overall national US winner will go on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year title in Monaco in June 2014.

As part of Ernst & Young LLP's commitment to advising, guiding and honoring entrepreneurs, the organization sponsors two additional programs designed to distinguish entrepreneurial success and achievement.

For the second year, Ernst & Young LLP is recognizing family business entrepreneurs – leaders of outstanding entrepreneurial families with a culture and tradition of successfully balancing business and family issues – through the Family Business Award of Excellence. More information on this program may also be found at www.ey.com/us/eoy.

In addition, nominations will be accepted for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ 2013 Program, a national competition and leadership initiative that identifies and connects a select group of women entrepreneurs with the advisors, resources and insights they need to scale their businesses and become market leaders. For more information on the program, visit www.ey.com/us/entrepreneurialwinningwomen.

Awards criteria
Entrepreneurs eligible for consideration include not only company founders, but also leaders of multi-generation family businesses and transformational public and private company CEOs. Additionally, the nominee's company must be at least two years old. Self-nominations are encouraged, and there is no fee. The deadline for nominations is March 8, 2013.

Information is available at www.ey.com/us/eoy. For information on the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards in New Jersey, please visit www.ey.com/us/eoy_newjersey. To nominate a candidate, please visit: https://eoy nomination.ey.com/LoginManagement/Welcome.aspx.

Sponsors
Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored by SAP America and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

In New Jersey, regional sponsors include PNC Bank, Merrill Communications, Morgan Lewis, DLA Piper, Empire Valuation Consultants, Scherzer International, SolomonEdwardsGroup, WithumSmith+Brown, Gibbons, Murray Devine, NJTC, NJBiz.

Contact information
To get more information, as well as nomination forms, contact: Michelle Liotta at +1 212 773 0975 or [email protected].

About Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world's most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The unique award makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 140 cities in 50 countries.

About Ernst & Young LLP's Strategic Growth Markets practice
Ernst & Young LLP's Strategic Growth Markets (SGM) practice guides leading high-growth companies. Our multidisciplinary team of elite professionals provides 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. Ernst & Young 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 www.ey.com/us/strategicgrowthmarkets, or follow news on Twitter at EY_Growth.

About Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 167,000 people are united by our shared values and an unwavering commitment to quality.
We make a difference by helping our people, our clients and our wider communities achieve their potential.

Ernst & Young refers to the global organization of 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 www.ey.com.

This news release has been issued by Ernst & Young LLP, a client-serving member firm of Ernst Young Global Limited operating in the US.

SOURCE Ernst & Young LLP

WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?

440k+
Newsrooms &
Influencers

9k+
Digital Media
Outlets

270k+
Journalists
Opted In

GET STARTED