Congratulations to all of the nominees, finalists and winners in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Lake Michigan Area award program. Ernst & Young created the Entrepreneur Of The Year^®(EOY) award — the Award for Business Leadership — to honor the accomplishments of the great men and women who make our economy vibrant.

Growing companies are vitally important to us. They create jobs, support their communities, and provide products and services that help drive the economy. It is hard to imagine where we would be today without the entrepreneurs who create growth companies. They are the visionaries and the risk-takers who believe in their dreams and refuse to be denied. Rather than follow in the footsteps of others, entrepreneurs choose instead to lead, to take the road less traveled.

For the past 21 years, we have proudly recognized outstanding business leaders across the Lake Michigan Area program. This year’s Illinois, Indiana, West Michigan and Wisconsin participants have succeeded through turbulent economic times and personal sacrifice, and they have emerged stronger than ever. They’re driven by accomplishment. They have defined sustainability. They’re not afraid to take risks and can see beyond them.

Ernst & Young’s Strategic Growth Markets practice is the leader in serving the Russell 3000, high-growth private companies, companies with significant investments from venture capital or private equity firms, and companies planning to go public. We are committed to serving the entrepreneurial companies throughout their lifecycle. That’s why we started the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year awards.

Join us in congratulating the leaders of today — innovators that have achieved their American dream. We, along with our sponsors and patrons, continue to be inspired and encouraged by the entrepreneurial business achievements of our nominees. The following pages highlight those individuals who pursued this coveted distinction. Ernst & Young is proud to recognize and honor the accomplishments of the people who make this country great.

Congratulations on your continued success.

RANDALL L. TAVIERNE is Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year director, Midwest Area Strategic Growth Markets leader and partner at Ernst & Young LLP.

More Leadership

First things first
How Terry Jenkins keeps his employees at Harris Private Bank focused on the long term

Crisis management
How Gary Holdren prepared his people for hard times to keep Huron Consulting Group focused on success

Dollars and sense
How MB Financial’s Mitchell Feiger uses the candid truth to keep his 1,400 employees working hard through a tough economy

Handing off
How Ted Phillips puts an emphasis on teamwork on the business end to help create success for the Chicago Bears

Entrepreneur Of The Year
Five regional programs honor successful entrepreneurs and the companies they build.

Clarity of focus
How Gregory Case engaged employees and clients to fine-tune the vision at Aon Corp.

Trains of thought
How Andy Reardon fosters an environment at TTX that deters one-track thinking

Topping the chart
How Michael Lerner uses an organizational chart to improve accountability and communication at MCZ Development Corp.

Family ties
How Jim Bouchard retains an entrepreneurial approach at Esmark Inc. without sacrificing the benefits of scale

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