Ernst & Young LLP Seeks New York's Outstanding Entrepreneurs

NEW YORK, Jan. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Ernst & Young LLP is calling for nominations for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2012 Awards, recognized as one of the most prestigious business award programs in the country. The deadline for applications is March 9, 2012, with the New York Awards ceremony scheduled for June 19, 2012 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel.

Now in its 26th year, the program has honored the inspirational leadership of such entrepreneurs as Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com, Michael Dell of Dell Inc., Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines, Fred Smith of FedEx, Larry Page and Sergey Brin of Google, Richard Schulze of Best Buy, Andrew Mason of Groupon, Mindy Grossman of HSN, Inc., Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn, and many more.

"Entrepreneurs are the key to the innovation, economic growth, and job creation that we need so desperately in America right now," said Bryan Pearce, Americas Director of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Program. "Our Entrepreneur Of The Year Program is helping to build a movement by celebrating the stories of these men and women whose confidence, tenacity and drive to be the next business leaders are already impacting the way we live and work as well as the revitalization of our economy."

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.

The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards in New York.

Last year, 10 entrepreneurs in 9 categories from New York were selected as Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award winners. Past award winners in New York have included  Mia Bauer and Jason Bauer of Crumbs Bake Shop, Howard Lutnick of BGC Partners and David S. Kidder of Clickable.

"This program honors the outstanding entrepreneurs in our area," said Carmine Romano, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Program Co-Director for New York. "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."

Nationally, more than 250 entrepreneurs from across the nation were selected as Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2011 Award winners from more than 1,900 nominations. 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, Tom Adams of Rosetta Stone, Matt Szulik of Red Hat and the 2011 national winners, Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn.

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, hosted by Jay Leno, on November 17, 2012 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 compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year title in Monaco in June 2013.

Awards criteria

Awards are given to entrepreneurs who have demonstrated excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Self-nominations are encouraged, and there is no fee. Application forms must be received by March 9, 2012.

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.

Information is also available at www.ey.com/us/eoy. For information on the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards in New York please visit www.ey.com/us/eoy_newyork.

Sponsors

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

In New York, local sponsors include Empire Valuation Consultants, Marsh, Murray, Devine & Company, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe and Withum Smith+Brown.

Contact information

To get more information, as well as nomination forms, contact: Megan Langone at 212-773-5566 or  [email protected]. Information is also available at www.ey.com/us/eoy.

About Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur Of The Year

Ernst & Young's 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

Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 152,000 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.

For more information, please visit ey.com.

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.

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

SOURCE Ernst & Young

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