Earnst and Young recently announced the finalists for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015 in the Upper Midwest. The awards program recognizes entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. These business leaders were selected by a panel of independent judges and award winners will be announced at a special gala on June 10, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Minneapolis.
Included in the mix is Don Rachel, CEO of Rachel Contracting in St. Michael. Established in 2006, the business has been located at its new headquarters off Highway 241 for more than five years.
The Upper Midwest program includes companies based in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. Collectively, this year’s finalists generated more than $2.1 billion in revenue and provided over 7,000 jobs by the end of 2014. In addition to the finalists listed below, this year’s program will honor Marilyn Carlson Nelson with the Master Entrepreneur Award for her work in building a dining and hospitality empire and for her deep commitment to the economic vitality of the Twin Cities.
This year’s finalists are:
- Atul Gupta – Advanced Technologies Group, LLC (West Des Moines, IA)
- Michael Wolbrink – Azule Staffing (Eagan, MN)
- Kim Bartmann – Biltwell Restaurant, LLC (Minneapolis, MN)
- Jon Carlson – Braun Intertec (Bloomington, MN)
- Nancy Lyons – Clockwork (Minneapolis, MN)
- Paul Lidsky – Datalink (Eden Prairie, MN)
- Brad Fick – Direct Source (Chanhassen, MN)
- Mason Thelen – Elicit (Minneapolis, MN)
- Jerry Johnson – Energy Management Collaborative (Plymouth, MN)
- Hank Harris – Harrisvaccines (Ames, IA)
- Bill Szlaius – Logic Information Systems, Inc. (Bloomington, MN)
- Jeff Gau – Marco, Inc. (Saint Cloud, MN)
- Christopher Klitgaard – MediRevv (Coralville, IA)
- Bjorn Stansvik – MentorMate (Minneapolis, MN)
- Nicolas Thomley – Morning Star Financial Services (Golden Valley, MN)
- Don Rachel – Rachel Contracting, Inc. (Saint Michael, MN)
- Dean Atchison – Spectrum Aeromed (Fargo, ND)
- Archie Black – SPS Commerce (Minneapolis, MN)
- Maureen Steinwall – Steinwall, Inc. (Coon Rapids, MN)
- Josh Hochschuler and Steve Gill – Talenti Gelato (Minneapolis, MN)
- Mike Derheim – The Nerdery (Bloomington, MN)
- Cindy Koebele – Title Smart, Inc. (Maplewood, MN)
- Thomas Siering – Two Harbors Investment Corp. (Minnetonka, MN)
- Stuart Henderson – Western National Insurance Group (Edina, MN)
Now in its 29th year, the program has expanded to recognize business leaders in over 145 cities in 60 countries throughout the world.
Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year national program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall National Award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California on November 14, 2015. The US Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall Award winner then moves on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in Monaco, June 2016. Additionally, venture-backed companies that win an Entrepreneur Of The Year Award regionally are also eligible for the Venture Capital Award of Excellence at the national level. The awards are the culminating event of the EY Strategic Growth Forum, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.
Founded and produced by EY, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are sponsored nationally by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and SAP America.
In the Upper Midwest, regional sponsors include: Padillacrt, Faegre Baker Daniels, Twin Cities Business, Merrill Corporation, Lockton, Pohlad Companies and Salo.
About EY Entrepreneur Of The Year®
EY Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The unique award makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries.