Celebrating entrepreneurs and the businesses they build and grow has been a priority for Ernst & Young for more than two decades. We are proud to continue this distinguished tradition through the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year awards.
For 23 years, Ernst & Young has recognized thousands of entrepreneurs throughout Northeast Ohio whose vision, leadership and record of achievement continue to impact our communities. As a leader in guiding these companies, we feel it’s important to honor them and recognize their impact while encouraging others to follow in their footsteps.
Ernst & Young believes entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of our economy. Whether it’s an innovative new business model or establishing new industries and trends, just about everything begins with an entrepreneur. Pick a company — any company — and you can trace its roots back to an entrepreneur.
Entrepreneurs find creative, venturesome ways to acquire the capital resources they need to achieve their goals and grow a business. They are individuals who drive the process of creating value by combining resources to exploit an opportunity. The men and women that we are honoring this year are no exception.
This year’s finalists went through a rigorous judging process and met with the program’s independent panel of judges for a thorough assessment of their company’s recent financial performance, strategic direction, and their product or service innovation. In addition, the judges assessed each nominee’s leadership qualities, including personal integrity, values, key employee initiatives and community involvement.
Thanks to the entrepreneurs that have participated in this year’s program and, more importantly, for creating an entrepreneurial spirit in Northeast Ohio. Their visions and ability to achieve them have made significant contributions to improve the quality of life and create jobs for those in our region.
Mike Mazzeo is an executive director with Ernst & Young and the program director for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Northeast Ohio program.
Ernst & Young has a long-standing commitment to working with and recognizing high-impact entrepreneurs through its Strategic Growth Markets practice, which guides high-growth companies to market leadership. Find out more at
www.ey.com/US/en/Services/Strategic-Growth-Markets.
