TAMPA, Fla., June 14, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ernst & Young LLP has announced the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2013 Award recipients in Florida. The finalists and award recipients, selected by an independent panel of judges, were honored at a gala event at the Fontainebleau in Miami Beach on June 13.
The award recognizes outstanding high-growth entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.
Following are Florida award recipients. Collectively, they grew employment for their companies by 64 percent and their revenues by 48 percent between 2010 and 2012.
Central Florida:
- Health Care category – Mark Montgomery, president and chief executive officer, Axium Healthcare Pharmacy, Inc., Lake Mary
South Florida:
- Emerging category – Naomi Whittel, chief executive officer and founder, Reserveage Organics, Boca Raton
- Hospitality category – John Kunkel, chief executive officer and founder, 50 Eggs, Inc., Miami
- Services category – Philip Anson, Jr., chief executive officer, STS Holdings., Inc. Jensen Beach
West Central Florida:
- Distribution and Manufacturing category – R. Charles Murray, chief executive officer, PPi Technologies Group/Redi-2-DrinQ Group, Sarasota
- Family Business category – Wayne Johnson, chief executive officer, Accuform Manufacturing, Inc., Brooksville
- Financial Services category – Trevor Burgess, chief executive officer, C1 Bank, Saint Petersburg
- Retail and Consumer Products category – Norbert P. Donelly, chairman, Tervis, North Venice
- Technology category – Dan Doyle, Jr., president and chief executive officer, DEX Imaging, Tampa
Now in its 27th year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Program has honored the inspirational leadership of such entrepreneurs as Howard Schultz of Starbucks Coffee Company, Arthur M. Blank of AMB Group, LLC (The Home Depot, Atlanta Falcons), Pierre Omidyar of eBay Inc., Ruth Fertel of Ruth's Chris Steak House, Maxine Clark of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc., Tom Adams of Rosetta Stone, Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn, and 2012 award recipient Hamdi Ulukaya, founder of Chobani Inc.
Regional award recipients will now compete at the national level. Award recipients in several national categories, as well as the National Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall Award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, Calif., on Nov. 16, 2013. The awards are the culminating event of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum®, the nation's most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.
Sponsors
Founded and produced by Ernst & Young, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored by SAP America and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Florida platinum sponsors include Carlton Fields, Fifth Third Bank, Tribridge and Vaco; silver sponsors RFB Communications Group and Scherzer International and media sponsor Smart Business Network.
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 recognizes the significant contributions of entrepreneurs who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement.
About Ernst & Young LLP's Strategic Growth Markets practice
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