Finalists for Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2010 Awards in the Carolinas Announced

CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Ernst & Young LLP is pleased to announce the finalists for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® award in the Carolinas.  This group of outstanding entrepreneurs was selected by an independent judging panel made up of past winners as well as business and community leaders. The winners will be revealed at a gala event on June 17, 2010 at The Westin Charlotte Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina.

"Entrepreneurship is especially vital as our nation continues its recovery," said Kent Geer, partner and Carolinas Director of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® program. "These finalists create jobs in our area, encouraging healthy growth, development and innovation in the local economies."

The Carolinas finalists for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award in 2010 are:

• Leah Brown, A10 Clinical Solutions
• Jason Benham, Benham REO Group
• David Benham, Benham REO Group
• Randy Kibler, Bojangles' Restaurants, Inc.
• Joseph Alala, III, CapitalSouth Partners Funds
• Thomas Coble, Coble Trench Safety, Inc.
• Craig Collard, Cornerstone Therapeutics Inc.
• Charles Swoboda, CREE
• Ben Weinberger, Digitalsmiths
• Matthew Berry, Digitalsmiths
• Ryan Dienst, GMI
• Scott Ray, GMI
• Keith Luedeman, goodmortgage.com
• Eric Kozlowski, Industrial Motion, Inc.
• Brian Pfeifer, Industrial Motion, Inc.
• Jane Zhang, JH Global Services, Inc.
• Steve Malik, Medfusion
• Mark Yusko, Morgan Creek Capital Management
• Judson Bowman, Pocketgear
• Sidney Hinton, PowerSecure International, Inc.
• Stephen Wiehe, SciQuest, Inc.
• Thomas Baliker, Spartan Foods of America, Inc.
• Lawrence Stern, Talecris Biotherapeutics
• Todd Pope, TransEnterix, Durham
• Carlos Gutierrez, United Resource Recovery Corporation
• Steve Puckett, USHIFU, LLC
• Douglas Witcher, Worldwide Insurance Network, Inc

The Entrepreneur Of The Year® program honors entrepreneurs regionally in June, leading up to the national awards in November.  Additionally, venture-backed companies that win an Entrepreneur Of The Year® award regionally are also eligible for the Venture Capital Award of Excellence on a national level.  The overall national US winner then moves on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year held in Monte Carlo.  

This year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year awards program celebrates its 24th anniversary.  The program has expanded to recognize entrepreneurs in over 135 cities in 50 countries throughout the world.  Awards are given to entrepreneurs who demonstrate extraordinary success in the areas of innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.

All regional honorees are invited to the national Entrepreneur Of The Year® gala, hosted by Jay Leno, on November 13, 2010 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.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year awards are pleased to have the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and SAP America as national sponsors.

In the Carolinas, sponsors include King & Spalding, Bowne and Business Leader Media.

Contact information

To make reservations for the Entrepreneur Of The Year awards gala on June 17, 2010 contact Darlene Pearson Lowe of Ernst & Young at 404-817-5481 or [email protected].  For more information about the program, please visit 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 award makes a difference through the unique 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, Ernst & Young 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 135 cities in 50 countries.

About Ernst & Young

Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 144,000 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 www.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 LLP is a client-serving member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited located in the U.S.

SOURCE Ernst & Young LLP

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