Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2010 Award Winners in Metro New York Announced

NEW YORK, June 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Ernst & Young LLP is pleased to announce the winners of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® award in Metro New York.  This group of leading entrepreneurs was selected by an independent judging panel made up of regional business, academic and community leaders.  The winners were revealed at a gala event on Tuesday, June 15 at The Marriott Marquis, Times Square, New York.

"Ernst & Young believes in the power of entrepreneurship," said Jodi Burns, Ernst & Young LLP Entrepreneur Of The Year Program Director for Metro New York.  "These Entrepreneur Of The Year award winners are the best in their class, and we are proud to honor their outstanding success."

The evening also included the presentation of two special Entrepreneur Of The Year awards.

>The Social Entrepreneur Award was presented to Paul Tudor Jones II who was recognized for founding the Robin Hood Foundation.

>The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Richard Robinson for his work as Chairman, President and CEO of Scholastic Inc. for the last 40 years.

Ernst & Young also recognized the achievements of three high school students (Florian Koenigsberger, Dana Laurie and Daliswan Morgan) who have all been a part of NFTE (the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship) which is a non-profit organization that provides entrepreneurship education programs to young people from low-income communities.  

The Metro New York winners for the Ernst & Young LLP Entrepreneur Of The Year award in 2010 are:

Business Services: Glenn de Vries and Tarek Sherif, Medidata Solutions Worldwide

Digital Solutions: Jason Glickman, Tremor Media

Ecommerce: Alexis Maybank and Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, Gilt Groupe

Emerging: Mitch Jacobs, On Deck Capital

Financial Services: Joseph J. DePaolo, Signature Bank

Financial Technology: Howard W. Lutnick, BGC Partners, Inc.

Healthcare: Maura Bluestone, Affinity Health Plan

New Media: Craig Gooding and Doug Stevenson, Vibrant Media

Real Estate: Larry Silverstein, Silverstein Properties, Inc.

Retail, distribution and manufacturing: Lexy Funk, Brooklyn Industries

Retail, distribution and manufacturing: Giorgio Kolaj, Famous Famiglia

Transformation change: Dinesh Paliwal, Harman

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 Venture Capital Award of Excellence on a national level.  The overall national US winner then moves on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year title in June.  

This year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year awards program celebrates its 24th anniversary. The program has expanded to recognize business leaders in over 135 cities in 50 countries throughout the world. Awards are given to entrepreneurs who demonstrate extraordinary success in the areas of innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Entrepreneurs are nominated and evaluated by those in each region, including local business, academic and community leaders.

All regional honorees are invited to the national Entrepreneur Of The Year® gala, hosted by Jay Leno, on November 13, 2010 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 and SAP America as national sponsors.

In Metro New York, sponsors include platinum sponsors Fidelity Investments, HSBC, Scherzer International, silver sponsors Solomon Edwards Group and WithumSmith+Brown and local supporters Accounting Management Solutions and Empire Valuations Consultants.

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

About Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur Of The Year®

Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur Of The Year® is the world's most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The award makes a difference through the unique 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, Ernst & Young 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 135 cities in 50 countries.

About Ernst & Young

Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 144,000 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. For more information, please visit www.ey.com.

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 located in the U.S.

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

SOURCE Ernst & Young LLP