Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year^® 2011 Southwest Area North Award winners announced

Ernst & Young LLP is pleased to announce the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® Southwest Area North Award winners. This group of leading entrepreneurs was selected by an independent judging panel made up of previous winners of the award, leading CEOs, private capital investors and other regional business leaders. The winners were revealed at a gala event on June 25th at the Hyatt Regency Dallas.

“Ernst & Young has honored outstanding entrepreneurs like this year’s winners for the past
25 years,” said Debra von Storch, Ernst & Young’s partner in charge of the Southwest Area North Strategic Growth Markets.  “These business leaders have accomplished so much and contributed a tremendous amount to the community. They give us hope for what the next 25 years of entrepreneurs will bring.”

The Ernst & Young LLP Entrepreneur Of The Year 2011 Southwest Area Award winners are:

Business Services
Gurvendra S. Suri
Optimal Solutions Integration, Inc.
Irving, Texas

Clean Tech
Randall C. Stuewe
Darling International Inc.
Irving, Texas

Emerging
Andrew G. Love and James F. Draudt
BHG Behavioral Health Group
Dallas, Texas

Energy
Brian Maxted and W. Greg Dunlevy
Kosmos Energy Ltd.
Dallas, Texas

Health Sciences
William C. Lucia
HMS Holdings Corp.
Irving, Texas

Lifetime Achievement
Erle Nye
Chairman Emeritus, TXU
Dallas, Texas

Manufacturing, Distribution & Industrial Services
Dan Wilks and Farris Wilks
Frac Tech Services
Cisco, Texas

Master Energy
Aubrey K. McClendon
Chesapeake Energy Corporation
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Master Telecommunications
Glen Post
CenturyLink
Monroe, Louisiana

Real Estate & Construction
John Goodman
Goodman Networks
Plano, Texas

Retail & Consumer Products
Gerald J. Rubin 
Helen of Troy, Ltd.
El Paso, Texas

Serial
Timothy A. Leach
Concho Resources Inc.
Midland, Texas

Social
Ronald Klausner
Cambium Learning Group, Inc.
Dallas, Texas

Technology
Lance Crosby
SoftLayer Technologies
Dallas, Texas

Telecommunications
Roger D. Linquist
MetroPCS Communications, Inc.
Richardson, Texas

Transformational
Wayne Goldberg
LQ Management LLC
Irving, Texas

Youth Award – Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship
Jordan Anderson
Weeds & More
Dallas, Texas

The Entrepreneur Of The Year Program honors entrepreneurs regionally in June, leading up to the national awards in November. Additionally, venture-backed companies that win an Entrepreneur Of The Year Award regionally are also eligible for the Entrepreneur Of The Year Venture Capital Award of Excellence on a national level. The overall National US winner then moves on to compete for the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in June.

This year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Program celebrates its 25th anniversary.  The program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 140 cities and more than 50 countries throughout the world. Awards are given to entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.

All regional honorees are invited to the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards gala, hosted by Jay Leno, on November 12, 2011, in Palm Springs, California. The gala is the culminating event of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum®, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies. For more information on the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum, please visit www.ey.com/us/strategicgrowthforum.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are pleased to have the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation as a national sponsor. 

In Southwest Area North, sponsors include:  First United Bank & Trust, Smith, Frank & Partners, Roach Howard Smith & Barton, and Transwestern.

For more information about the program, please visit www.ey.com/us/eoy.

About Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year
Ernst & Young 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 140 cities in more than 50 countries.

About Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services.
Worldwide, our 141,000 people are united by our shared values and an unwavering commitment to quality. We make a difference by helping our people, our clients and our wider communities achieve their potential.

Ernst & Young refers to the global organization of member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young LLP is a client-serving member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited operating in the US. For more information about our organization, please visit www.ey.com.

This news release has been issued by Ernst & Young LLP, a US client-serving member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited.

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