The Search is on for EY's 2014 Most Innovative Entrepreneurs

Nominations are open for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2014 Awards, celebrating innovative business leaders who turn vision into reality

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Jan 14, 2014, 08:00 ET

NEW YORK, Jan. 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- EY is calling for nominations for the 28^th Annual EY Entrepreneur Of The Year awards, recognized as one of the most prestigious business award programs in the country. The program has a firm deadline of March 14, 2014 for nominations.

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Each year, EY showcases successful entrepreneurs from more than 150 cities in 60 countries. Past award winners have included Howard Schultz of Starbucks Coffee Company, Pierre Omidyar of eBay, Inc., and Mindy Grossman of HSN. Recent US national winners include Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn, Hamdi Ulukaya founder of Chobani, and 2013 winner Hamid Moghadam, CEO and Chairman of Prologis.

A look at some of these companies, more than 650 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2013 finalists, reveals how they are surpassing benchmarks for high impact entrepreneurship by a large margin. They particularly excel in the areas of revenue growth, with median sales growth of more than 30% per year in each of the last two years, and growth in average headcount of more than 30% over the same period.

"At EY, it's through our Entrepreneur Of The Year program that we have had the privilege of getting to know many high impact entrepreneurs," said Mike Kacsmar, Americas Director, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year. "The entrepreneurs we have honored are creating disruptive companies and causing a positive ripple effect in our communities, our capital markets and our economy."

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.

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 15, 2014 in Palm Springs, California. The gala is the culminating event of the EY Strategic Growth Forum^®, the nation's most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies. For more information on the EY Strategic Growth Forum, please visit www.ey.com/us/sgf.

The overall national US winner will go on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year title in Monaco in June 2015.

Awards criteria

To qualify, entrepreneurs must be the founder or an executive who organizes, manages and assumes the risk of a business early in its life cycle or during its growth. Self-nominations are encouraged, and there is no fee. The firm deadline for 2014 nominations is March 14.

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 available at www.ey.com/us/eoy.

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.

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 150 cities in more than 60 countries.

About EY's Strategic Growth Markets practice

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.

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, an EY member firm serving clients in the US.

For more information, please visit ey.com.

SOURCE EY