Honoring the best of the best

Randolph Buseman, partner in the Kansas City office, Ernst & Young

For more than 25 years, Ernst & Young has celebrated the entrepreneurial spirit of men and women who make our economy vibrant.
Ernst & Young founded the Entrepreneur Of The Year® Program to recognize those with a passion for “thinking big” and to bring together visionaries and leaders to inspire each other and our communities. We have gathered here, and in 25 cities across the United States, to honor all of our regional finalists and welcome a new class of entrepreneurs into our Hall of Fame, recognizing their resilience, ingenuity and innovation.
We applaud them for overcoming challenges, inspiring others, opening new markets and, ultimately, fueling economic growth in the Central Midwest. Let’s celebrate their achievements, perseverance and tireless pursuit of business excellence.
Congratulations to all of the 2012 Central Midwest finalists.
Michael Hichenbotham, partner in the Kansas City office, Ernst & Young

Randolph Buseman is a partner in the Kansas City office of Ernst & Young.
Michael Hickenbotham is a partner in the St. Louis office of Ernst & Young.
Finalists and Honorees
Industrial Manufacturing and Mining
• Steve Carter, Knight Hawk Coal LLC (Winner)
Communications
• David Karandish, Answers (Winner)
Financial Services
• Brant Bukowsky, Brock Bukowsky, Veterans United Home Loans (Winner)
Services
• Len Rodman, Black & Veatch (Winner)
Transportation
• Robert Low, Prime Inc. (Winner)
Technology
• Harry Herrington, NIC Inc. (Winner)
Master Entrepreneur
• Larry Potterfield, MidwayUSA
Energy and Chemicals
• Jerff Stroburg, Daniel Oh, Renewable Energy Group Inc. (Winner)
Retail and Consumer Products
• Kyle Krause, Kum & Go L.C. (Winner)
Bio Science
• Dr. David Faber, Trans Ova Genetics (Winner)
Finalists
• Dr. Steve Lasky, Advanced Analytical Technologies Inc.
• John Eulich, ASPEQ Holdings Inc.
• Cory Wiedel, Ryan Zink, Complete Nutrition
• Benny Lee, DuraComm Corp.
• Patrick Perry, Genesys
• Dawn Ainger, Genova Technologies
• Greg Gragg, Gragg Advertising
• Mark Rutter, GROUP360 Worldwide
• Joseph Melookaran, Mithra Amaran, David Brown, Raqibul Huq, Maria Will, JMA Information Technology
• Greg Brown, Learfield Communications Inc.
• Matt Miller, MobileDemand
• Mary Quass, NRG Media LLC
• Dr. Reggie Chandra, Rhythm Engineering
• Tom Kalishman, Jerry Shaw, SAK Construction LLC
• Willard “Lee” Frickey, Sizewise
• Michael Vasquez, St. Gregory Centers Inc.
• Kevin Quigley, John Nickel, Mike O’Neill, Switch. Liberate Your Brand
• Dan Reed, UnitedLex Corp.
• Doug Schukar, USA Mortgage
• Jon Cook, VML
• Seth Burgett, Yurbuds Sport Earphones