Honoring the best of the best

For more than 25 years, Ernst & Young has celebrated the entrepreneurial spirit of men and women pursuing innovation and entrepreneurial excellence in their businesses, their teams and their communities.
The blood, sweat and passion they’ve poured into their businesses and the triumphs they’ve achieved stand as a testament to the role they play as visionaries, leaders and innovators. Ernst & Young founded the Entrepreneur Of The Year Program to recognize this passion for excellence and to build an influential and innovative community of peers.
We have gathered here and in 25 other cities in the U.S. to welcome the men and women who are regional finalists into our entrepreneurial Hall of Fame and to toast their commitment to succeed. We applaud them for launching their companies, opening new markets and fueling job growth.
So let’s celebrate their achievements, their perseverance and their tireless pursuit of business excellence.
Kim E. Letch is a partner and program director for Entrepreneur Of The Year, Orange County.
John Belli is the office managing partner for Ernst & Young, Orange County.

Finalists and Honorees
Technology
Mike Morhaime, Blizzard Entertainment (Winner)
Jonathan Ord, DealerSocket Inc. (Finalist)
Jim McCluney, Emulex (Finalist)

Life Sciences & Public Service
Joe Kiani, Masimo Corp. (Winner)
Charles Dunlop, Ambry Genetics (Finalist)
Dan Merkle, Lexipol LLC (Finalist)

Consumer Products
Andy Fathollahi, Incipio Technologies (Winner)
Jeff Walker, Super D (Finalist)
Bill Duehring, Felt Bicycles (Finalist)
Real Estate & Hospitality
Gary Jabara, Mobilitie LLC (Winner)
David Kim, Jerome Fink, The Bascom Group (Finalist)
Alessandro Pirozzi, Cucina Alessa (Finalist)
Business Services
John Raymont, Kurion Inc. (Winner)
Mike Manclark, Leading Edge Aviation Services (Finalist)
Heidi Golledge, CyberCoders (Finalist)