EY Opens Call for 2017 Entrepreneur Of The Year® Award Nominations

NEW YORK, Jan. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- EY announced today that nominations have opened for its annual Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards, widely considered one of the most prestigious business award programs in the U.S. Now in its 31st year, Entrepreneur Of The Year remains one of the preeminent competitive awards program in the world for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. The initiative is part of EY's work in identifying and supporting business leaders who demonstrate extraordinary success in areas such as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment.

Since inception, EY's Entrepreneur Of The Year program has recognized more than 9,000 executives who were estimated to have created over 14 million jobs in 2015 alone, based on the recently released The Entrepreneur's Purpose. Broken down further, the 2016 class of EOY winners collectively employed over 482,000 people and boasted significant job growth of more than 21 percent. They also generated revenue of over $354 billion, with revenue growth exceeding 57 percent.

Most recently, Bill Marriott Jr. of Marriott International won the 2016 national award. Founded as a family business with just one hotel in 1957, Marriott challenged his father to let him to step in and grow the business. Following his entrepreneurial calling for the next 60 years culminated in the visionary acquisition of Starwood and building one of the best hotel brands in more than 100 countries around the world. Marriott headlined a class of exceptional entrepreneurs, who were recognized in 10 other categories.

Other past winners include:

• Howard Schultz of Starbucks Coffee Company
• Pierre Omidyar of eBay, Inc.
• Mindy Grossman of HSN
• Robert Unanue of Goya Foods
• Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn
• Hamid Moghadam of Prologis
• Jodi Berg of Vita-Mix
• Hamdi Ulukaya of Chobani
• Maxine Clark of Build-a-Bear
• James Park of Fitbit

Each year, EY showcases successful entrepreneurs from 25 regional competitions across the U.S.

Information is available at www.ey.com/us/eoy. To nominate a candidate, please visit the secure application site.

Awards Criteria & Judging Process
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 firm deadline for 2017 nominations is March 10, 2017.

Award winners are selected in a number of industry categories by a panel of independent regional 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.

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

About Entrepreneur Of The Year®
EY's Entrepreneur Of The Year® is one of the world's most prestigious business awards programs for entrepreneurs, chosen from an independent panel of judges including entrepreneurs and prominent leaders from business, finance, and the local community. The program 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. 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. ey.com/eoy

About EY's Growth Markets Network
EY's worldwide Growth Markets Network is dedicated to serving the changing needs of high-growth companies. For more than 30 years, we've helped many of the world's most dynamic and ambitious companies grow into market leaders. Whether working with international mid-cap companies or early stage, venture-backed businesses, our professionals draw upon their extensive experience, insight and global resources to help your business succeed. For more information, please visit us at ey.com/sgm 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, a member of the global EY organization that provides services to clients in the US.

For more information, please visit ey.com.

SOURCE EY

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