EY builds on three decades of honoring unstoppable entrepreneurs in the Mountain Desert Region
Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) is pleased to announce the winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year® Mountain Desert Region Award. Entrepreneur Of The Year® is one of the preeminent competitive business awards for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. The Mountain Desert Region program celebrates entrepreneurs from Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. This group of unstoppable entrepreneurial leaders transforming our world was selected by an independent judging panel made up of previous award winners, leading CEOs, investors and other regional business leaders. Mountain Desert Region award winners were unveiled during the program’s first-ever virtual awards gala, hosted by Deborah Norville, anchor of Inside Edition, on Wednesday, October 7, 2020.
“EY is honored to recognize these unstoppable visionaries whose grit and ambition are inspiring innovation and propelling our economy forward,” said Jim Wilson, Entrepreneur Of The Year Mountain Desert Region Co-Director. “We are excited to add them to our global alumni community as they continue to create long-term value and make an impact in building successful companies.”
The winners for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020 Mountain Desert Region Award are:
- Adam Bedard | ARB Midstream, LLC (Denver, Colo.)
- Troy Swope | Footprint (Gilbert, Ariz.)
- David Freedman & Chris Stark | Freestar (Phoenix, Ariz.)
- Rachel Carlson | Guild Education (Denver, Colo.)
- Charles Rath | RS21 (Albuquerque, N.M.)
- Adrian Tuck | Uplight (Boulder, Colo.)
- Caleb Carr & Derek Sikora | Vita Inclinata Technologies, Inc. (Broomfield, Colo.)
Nominees were evaluated based on six criteria, including overcoming adversity; financial performance; societal impact and commitment to building a values-based company; innovation; and talent management.
Since its launch, the program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries throughout the world.
Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020 National Awards, to be announced Thursday, November 19, during a virtual awards gala. The awards are the culminating event of this year’s virtual Strategic Growth Forum®, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award in June 2021.
Entrepreneur Of The Year Award winners become lifetime members of a global, multi-industry community of entrepreneurs, with exclusive, ongoing access to the experience, insight and wisdom of program alumni and other ecosystem members in over 60 countries — all supported by vast EY resources. Since 1986, the Entrepreneur Of The Year program has recognized more than 10,000 US executives.
Mountain Desert Region Focus
Each year, EY US showcases successful entrepreneurs from 20 regional competitions across the United States. In 2019, 10 entrepreneurs leading companies from the Mountain Desert Region were selected as Entrepreneur Of The Year Award winners. Past award winners in Mountain Desert include: Lani Dolifka, Watermill Express; Chris Volk, STORE Capital; David Barnett, PopSockets; Maureen Hewitt, Innovage; Albert DaCosta, Paragon 28; Jason Myers, ArcherDX; Ernie Garcia, Carvana; Robert Katz, Vail Resorts; Bryan Leach, Ibotta; Traci Loundsbury, Elements; Dan Burns and Dan Wilson, Optiv; and Mike Fries, Liberty Global; among others. For a full list of past winners, please visit our Hall of Fame.
For information on the Entrepreneur Of The Year Mountain Desert region program, please visit www.ey.com/us/eoy/md. Join the conversation on social media using #EOYUS and #EOYMTN.
Sponsors
Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored by SAP America and the Kauffman Foundation.
In the Mountain Desert Region, sponsors also include PNC Bank, Faegre Drinker, Colliers International, Woodruff Sawyer and the Denver Business Journal.
About Entrepreneur Of The Year®
Entrepreneur Of The Year® is the world’s most prestigious business awards program for unstoppable entrepreneurs. These visionary leaders deliver innovation, growth and prosperity that transform our world. The program engages entrepreneurs with insights and experiences that foster growth. It connects them with their peers to strengthen entrepreneurship around the world. Entrepreneur Of The Year is the first and only truly global awards program of its kind. It celebrates entrepreneurs through regional and national awards programs in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries. Winners go on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ title. ey.com/us/eoy
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