Entrepreneur Magazine's Entrepreneur Of 2012 Contest Presented By The UPS Store Reveals Finalists

IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --  After many inspiring and remarkable entrepreneurs applied to Entrepreneur magazine's Entrepreneur of 2012 Contest presented by The UPS Store®, the finalists have been narrowed down, and it's time for the small-business community to weigh in. Five finalists in each category—established, emerging and college—have been selected for their exceptional businesses. Videos featuring the finalists' companies and entrepreneurial journeys are now online, so that viewers can watch their inspirational stories and vote for their favorites between August 6 and September 17.

From sustainable apparel and accessories to biotechnology to an unconventional approach to fighting poverty, the companies led by the finalists are making tremendous strides across industries. They embody perseverance, as one returning finalist from last year's contest demonstrates, and showcase many of the brilliant ideas arising from the entrepreneurially minded in college.

"This is an unprecedented group of finalists," says Amy Cosper, VP/editor in chief at Entrepreneur. "How the small-business community votes will indicate which finalists fellow entrepreneurs draw the most inspiration from, and that insight will be critical to us when making the final selection of winners."

"It's an honor for The UPS Store to be a part of highlighting these extraordinary entrepreneurs," says Michelle Van Slyke, vice president of marketing and small business solutions for The UPS Store franchise network. "Every day, The UPS Store owners across the country support small-businesses and see firsthand the incredible impact these individuals have in their local communities. The finalists selected by Entrepreneur are an encouraging representation of the bright future of small-business in America."

This marks the fifth consecutive year for the contest and conference both presented by The UPS Store network. The three winners will be profiled in the January issue of the magazine and honored at the luncheon portion of the upcoming 2013 Growth Conference in Dallas.

To see the full profile and video of each finalist, and to vote for your favorite in the established and emerging categories, go to entrepreneur.com/e2012.

Entrepreneur of 2012 Finalists
Fair Trade USA, Paul Rice
Adafruit Industries, Limor Fried
Acucela Inc., Ryo Kubota
Justin's Nut Butter, Justin Gold
Sentek Global, Eric Basu

Emerging Entrepreneur of 2012 Finalists 
Proof Wood Eyewear, Brooks Dame
United By Blue, Brian Linton
OrigAudio, Jason Lucash
Move Collective, Richard Smiedt
NOOKA Inc., Matthew Waldman

To see the full profile and video of each college category finalist—and vote for your favorite, go to entrepreneur.com/e2012college.

College Entrepreneur of 2012 Finalists
Archon Medical Technologies, Daniel Peng
CollegeZen, Neil Soni
Invisergy, Rishabh Jain
Star Toilet Paper, Bryan Silverman
Vantage Realized, Jorjon Tang

About Entrepreneur Media Inc.
Entrepreneur Media Inc. is the premier content provider for and about entrepreneurs. Our products engage and inspire every day with the advice, solutions and resources that fuel the bold and independent way entrepreneurs think.

After 35 years, nobody reaches more growing businesses. As the original magazine for the small and midsize business community, Entrepreneur continues to be the definitive guide to all the diverse challenges of business ownership. Entrepreneur.com is the most widely used website by entrepreneurs and emerging businesses worldwide. Entrepreneur Press publishes the books that turn entrepreneurial skills into business success.

To learn more, visit www.entrepreneur.com.
To advertise, please contact us at www.entrepreneur.com/mediakit.
Follow us on Twitter at @EntMagazine, and like us on Facebook at facebook.com/entmagazine.

About The UPS Store
In addition to domestic and international shipping, The UPS Store franchise network offers a variety of services to help with the logistics of running a small business including, professional printing services, mailboxes with a real street address, packing services, house accounts, direct mail and notary services. Each of the more than 4,300 locations in the U.S. is locally owned and operated by licensed franchisees of Mail Boxes Etc., Inc., a UPS subsidiary. For more information, visit www.theupsstore.com. 

Follow us on Twitter at @TheUPSStore, and like us on Facebook at facebook.com/theupsstore.

*This is not an offer of a franchise.  Any franchise offer is made only after a Franchise Disclosure Document has been provided.

SOURCE Entrepreneur Magazine