EY announces Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2015 Award recipients in Florida

Award recognizes entrepreneurial excellence

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Jun 12, 2015, 09:45 ET

TAMPA, Fla., June 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- EY has announced the award recipients of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in Florida. 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 11 at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate.

"These entrepreneurs are inspiring leaders demonstrating the dedication and vision it takes to achieve noteworthy success," said Greg Rosica, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Florida program partner. "EY is proud to recognize these entrepreneurs and all of their tremendous contributions."

Following are the 2015 award recipients:

Central Florida:

Family Business category, Jerry P. Brown and Tom Brown, Florida Food Products, Inc., Eustis
Financial Services category, Kenneth E. LaRoe, First GREEN Bank, Mount Dora

North Florida:

Health Care & Life Sciences category, Ricky Caplin, The HCI Group, Jacksonville

South Florida:

Distribution & Manufacturing category, Marcelo Young, Transnational Foods, Inc., Miami
Emerging category, Daniel Cane, Modernizing Medicine, Inc., Boca Raton
Real Estate & Construction category, Ron Antevy, e-Builder, Plantation
Services category, Jamarlin Martin, Moguldom Media Group, Fort Lauderdale
Technology category, Sam Zietz, TouchSuite, Boca Raton

West Central Florida:

Corporate Innovator, Robert M. Dutkowsky, Tech Data Corporation, Clearwater
Hospitality & Retail category, Robert M. Beall, Beall's, Inc., Bradenton

The Entrepreneur Of The Year Program honors entrepreneurs regionally in June, leading up to the national awards in November. Regional award recipients 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 recipient 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 Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored by SAP Americas and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Florida platinum sponsors are Holland & Knight, PNC Bank, Tribridge and Vaco; silver sponsors are RFB Communications Group and Scherzer International and media sponsor Smart Business Network.

About EY Entrepreneur Of The Year®

EY 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 145 cities in more than 60 countries.

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.

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SOURCE EY