Leadership
Driven to succeed
The 2007 Entrepreneur Of The Year honorees represent great accomplishments.
By Frank Maselli
Smart Business Detroit | July 2007
It can be a long way from inspiration to
success in building and growing a business, with plenty of obstacles and challenges
along the path to slow the
progress of even the most
innovative individual. But
successful entrepreneurs
know that the well-traveled road rarely leads to
prosperity. Rather than follow in the footsteps of others, entrepreneurs choose
instead to lead — to forge
a new trail.
They are the remarkable men and women
with the vision, determination and leadership to
create the companies
that produce new products, new jobs,
new opportunities and new wealth.
Ernst & Young created the Entrepreneur Of The Year® (EOY) award, the Award
for Business Leadership, in 1986 to
honor the accomplishments of the great men
and women who drive
our economy forward.
For the past 21 years,
we have proudly recognized outstanding business leaders from across
Eastern Michigan and
Northwest Ohio. Each
year, EOY finalists and
award recipients demonstrate incredible depth of
character as they develop new technologies,
create faster ways to distribute goods and services, and improve the quality of life for the people around them.
The 2007 finalists are no exception.
This year’s EOY program participants have succeeded through turbulent economic times and emerged even stronger.
As they forged ahead, they may not have
listened when told it couldn’t be done,
and they continue to take chances that
average people consider too risky.
As we look toward tomorrow’s entrepreneurs, join us in congratulating the
leaders of today, the innovators that
have achieved their American dream.
The following pages highlight those individuals who pursued this coveted distinction.
Congratulations on your continued
success.
FRANK MASELLI is the Ernst &
Young Entrepreneur Of The Year
director and a partner with Ernst &
Young LLP.
