Honoring the best of the best in Northeast Ohio

Whitt Butler, advisory partner, Ernst & Young;  program director, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Northeast Ohio
Whitt Butler, advisory partner, Ernst & Young; program director, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Northeast Ohio

For 27 years, Ernst & Young has championed the entrepreneurial spirit of men and women pursuing excellence in their businesses, teams and communities.
Ernst & Young founded the Entrepreneur Of The Year Program to recognize the passion of entrepreneurs and to build an influential and innovative community of peers. We received more than 1,680 national entries for this year’s program, from the country’s most deserving entrepreneurs. Their triumphs stand as a testament to the role they play as visionaries and leaders.
Entrepreneurs change the world and make it a better place to work and live. We honor them for their fortitude and resilience, and we celebrate their ability to forge new markets, navigate uncharted territory and fuel economic growth.
We gather here in Northeast Ohio and in 24 other cities across the U.S. to honor all of the finalists and welcome the new class of entrepreneurs into our Hall of Fame.
Congratulations to all of the 2013 Northeast Ohio Entrepreneur Of The Year finalists and winners. We applaud them all for their unyielding pursuit of business excellence and we are honored to share their inspiring stories with you.
 
Whitt Butler, advisory partner, Ernst & Young;  program director, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Northeast Ohio.
 
Here are the 2013 Northeast Ohio Entrepreneur of the Year winners and finalists:
Distribution and Manufacturing
Winner – Gary M. Schuster, president and CEO, OMCO
Finalist – Scott T. Becker, president and CEO, Chromaflo Technologies Corp.
Finalist – Jeffery L. Rand, owner and president, HB Chemical Corporation
Finalist – James R. Keene, president and owner, Keene Building Products
Finalist – Michael K. Baach, CEO, The Philpott Rubber Company
 
Education and Non-profit
Winner – Carol L. Klimas, president, Lake Ridge Academy
Finalist – William Scott Duennes, executive director, Cornucopia, Inc.
 
Financial Services
Winner – Jeremy E. Sopko, CEO, Nations Lending Corporation
Finalist – Brendan Anderson and Jeffery Kadlic, co-founders and co-managing partners, Evolution Capital Partners, LLC
Finalist – Jeffery Concepcion, founder and CEO, Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd.
Finalist – Ralph M. Della Ratta, managing director, Western Reserve Partners, LLC
 
Health Care and Pharmaceutical Services
Winner – Drew C. Forhan, founder and CEO, ForTec Medical
Finalist – Dale M. Wollschleger, president, ExactCare Pharmacy
 
Professional Services
Winner – Joel Adelman, founder and CEO, The Advance Group of Companies
Finalist – Scot Lowry, president and CEO, Fathom
Finalist – Alan Jaffa, CEO, Safeguard Properties Management, LLC
 
Public Company
Winner – Michael F. Hilton, president and CEO, Nordson Corporation
Finalist – Walter M. Rosebrough – president and CEO, STERIS Corporation
 
Retail and Consumer Products
Winner – Jimmy Zeilinger, founder and president, Brand Castle, LLC
Finalist – James D. Braeunig, president and CEO, Ball, Bounce & Sport, Inc.
Finalist – Kimberly Martin and Sarah Forrer, co-owners, Main Street Cupcakes
 
Technology
Winner – Kris Snyder, CEO, Vox Mobile, Inc.
Finalist – Yuval Brisker, co-founder, president and CEO, TOA Technologies
Finalist – David Levine, president, Wireless Environment, LLC
 
Family Business Award
Winner – Marc Brenner, president and CEO, Ohio Technical College
Finalist – Marty Kanan, president and CEO, King Nut Companies
Finalist – Scott J. Balogh, president and CEO, and Steven Balogh, vice president, Mar-Bal, Inc.