Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2011 Mountain Desert region finalists announced

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Denver, CO, 13 May 2011 — Ernst & Young LLP is pleased to announce the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® Mountain Desert finalists. This group of outstanding 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 will be revealed at a gala event on Thursday, June 16, 2011 at the Seawell Ballroom in the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

"These finalists create jobs in our area, encouraging community development and innovation in our broader economy," said Jim Wilson, Entrepreneur Of The Year Mountain Desert Program Director. "No matter who wins on June 16th we know one thing for sure – Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico are enriched by every one of these finalists."

The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2011 Mountain Desert region finalists are:


  • John Yacoub, President & CEO, Advanced Circuits (Aurora, CO)
  • Jeff Bisberg, CEO, Albeo Technologies Inc. (Boulder, CO)
  • Chris Carrington, President & CEO, Alpine Access, Inc. (Denver, CO)
  • Deb Weidenhamer, CEO, Auction Systems Auctioneers & Appraisers, Inc. (Phoenix, AZ)
  • Lee Gerdes, CEO & Founder, Brain State Technologies (Scottsdale, AZ)
  • Philip Anson, Founder & COO, EVOL Foods (Boulder, CO)
  • William Eckholm, President & CEO, Firetrace International (Scottsdale, AZ)
  • Bruce Johnson, President & CEO, Global Healthcare Exchange (Louisville, CO)
  • Joel E. Barthelemy, Managing Director & Founder, GlobalMedia Group (Scottsdale, AZ)
  • Jim Burke, Chairman, CEO & President, High Sierra Energy, LP (Denver, CO)
  • Art Zeile, CEO and Joel Daly, COO, Hosting.com (Denver, CO)
  • Justin Gold, CEO & Founder, Justin's Nut Butter (Boulder, CO)
  • Robert Kline, President & CEO, Medivance (Louisville, CO)
  • Mark Smith, President & CEO, Molycorp, Inc. (Greenwood Village, CO)
  • Curt Richardson, CEO & Founder, OtterBox (Fort Collins, CO)
  • Heather Callender-Potters, Chairman, PharmaJet, Inc. (Golden, CO)
  • Patrick Quinlan, CEO, Rivet Software, Inc. (Denver, CO)
  • John Wolgamott, President and Jerry Zink, Chairman & Vice President, StoneAge, Inc. (Durango, CO)
  • Adrian Tuck, CEO, Tendril (Boulder, CO)
  • John D. Musil, CEO, The Apothecary Shops (Phoenix, AZ)
  • Craig C. Hughes, CEO & Founder, Total Transit (Glendale, AZ)
  • Anthony Thomas, Vice Chairman, U.S. Cotton, LLC (Rio Rancho, NM)
  • Tim Marquez, Chairman, CEO & Founder, Venoco, Inc. (Denver, CO)
  • James Imbler, President & CEO, ZeaChem (Lakewood, CO)
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 of the following year.

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, which will be held November 9–13, 2011. 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 the Mountain Desert region sponsors include Faegre & Benson, Clifton Gunderson, ADP, Scherzer International, The Denver Business Journal and JohnstonWells Public Relations.

Contact information
To make reservations for the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards gala on June 16, 2011, contact Courtney Story of Ernst & Young at 720-931-4411 or Courtney.story@ey.com. Tickets are $225 per person or $2,250 per table of 10. For more information about the program, please visit www.ey.com/us/eoy/2011-MD-Gala.

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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