Ernst & Young Announces Entrepreneur Of The Year 2013 Award® Finalists and Judges for Southeast Region

ATLANTA, April 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Ernst & Young LLP today announced the finalists for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2013 Award in the Southeast, which includes Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. The prestigious award program recognizes entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.

These business leaders were selected by a panel of independent judges from a pool of 90 nominations. The 90 Southeast applicants employ more than 42,000 people in the workforce, and report more than $8.5 billion in annual sales. Notably, Southeast finalists represent 79 percent of the employee total and 82 percent of the revenues reported.

Award recipients will be announced at a gala on June 6 at the InterContinental Buckhead Hotel in Atlanta.

The finalists are:

John Marshall, CEO and Founder, AirWatch, Atlanta GA
Michael Cartwright, Chairman, American Addiction Centers, Brentwood TN
Anisa Telwar, President,Anisa International, Atlanta GA
Michael Mullen, President and CEO, Atherotech Diagnostics Lab, Birmingham AL
David Cummings, CEO Atlanta Tech Village/Kevy (former CEO of Pardot), Atlanta GA
David Morken, CEO and Co-Founder, Bandwidth, Raleigh NC
James D. Petrilla, President and CEO,  BioAgilytix Labs, Durham NC
Michael S. Hartnett, Co-Founder, Co-Chairman & Chief Investment Officer and Ted W. Rollins,
     Co-Founder, Co-Chairman and CEO, Campus Crest Communities, Inc., Charlotte NC
J. Fielding Miller, CEO and Co-Founder, CAPTRUST Financial Advisors, Raleigh NC
Lynne Laube, President, Cardlytics, Atlanta GA
S. David Passman III, CEO, Carmike Cinemas, Inc., Columbus GA
Shashi Reddy, Founder and CEO, Case-Mate, Inc., Tucker GA
Daniel J. McDonough, President and CEO, Commercial Credit Group, Inc., Charlotte NC
Susan A. Butler, Executive Director of Administrative Services,  and Ann Eldridge, Executive
     Director of Clinical Services, Early Autism Project, Inc., Sumter SC
Mark Gilreath, Founder, President and CEO, EndoChoice, Inc., Alpharetta GA
Dr. Albert J. Siemens, Chairman and CEO, FHI 360, Durham NC
Keith Luedeman, CEO and Founder, goodmortgage.com, Charlotte NC
David Scheible, President and CEO, Graphic Packaging International, Inc., Atlanta GA
Joey Hemphill, Chairman and Treasurer, and Trent Hemphill, President and CEO,
     Hemphill Brothers Coach Company, Nashville TN
Tom Beaty, President and CEO, Insight Sourcing Group, Norcross GA
Tiffany Crenshaw, President and CEO, Intellect Resources, Greensboro NC
Dr. Henry H. Scherich, President, Measurement Incorporated, Durham NC
Monica Wooden, CEO and Co-Founder, MercuryGate International, Cary NC
Karl A. Schledwitz, CEO and Chairman, Monogram Food Solutions, LLC, Memphis TN
Michael Smith, CEO, Paragon Metals, Inc., Charlotte NC
John Andros, CEO, Powerplan, Atlanta GA
Dr. Russell W. Helms, CEO, and Dr. Laura Helms Reese, CEO, Rho, Chapel Hill NC
Sepideh Asefnia, President and Owner, SEPI Engineering & Construction, Raleigh NC
Gerard J. Hall, President and CEO, SMT (SportsMEDIA Technology), Durham NC
Jay Faison, Founder and Chairman, SnapAV (Wirepath Home Systems DBA SnapAV), Charlotte
     NC
C. Gray Wheeler, President, Yale Carolinas, Inc., Charlotte NC

"This outstanding list of finalists brings a great deal of enthusiasm to our Southeast program this year," said Connie Austin, Southeast Entrepreneur of the Year Partner.  "Their dedication to innovation and entrepreneurship, with a strong focus on their communities, clearly demonstrates the increasingly important role entrepreneurs play in the business world. We are lucky to have them represent our region in this global award program, and thrilled to highlight their successes and incredible stories of turning a vision into a reality."

The judges for the 2013 program are:

Bill Boyd, Chairman, Agility Recovery Solutions, North Carolina
Leah Brown, President and CEO, A10 Clinical Solutions, Inc., North Carolina
Karen Robinson Cope, Senior Vice President, NanoLumens, Inc., Georgia
Michael R. Cote, Chairman and CEO, SecureWorks, Georgia
Amy Mendendorp, Retired SunTrust executive and Piedmont Healthcare Board Member, Georgia
Joe Scarlett, Retired Chairman, Tractor Supply Company, Tennessee
Richard Staub, President and CEO, Novella Clinical, North Carolina

Now in its 27th year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Program has expanded globally to recognize company builders in over 140 cities and in more than 50 countries throughout the world.

Regional award winners go on to compete at the national level. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the National Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall Award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California, on November 16, 2013. The awards are the culminating event of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum^®, the nation's most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored by SAP America and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

In the Southeast, regional sponsors include King & Spalding LLP, Merrill Datasite, PNC and Vaco.

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 unique award recognizes the significant contributions of entrepreneurs who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement.

About Ernst & Young LLP's Strategic Growth Markets practice

Ernst & Young LLP's Strategic Growth Markets (SGM) practice guides leading high-growth companies. Our multidisciplinary team of elite professionals provides perspective and advice to help our clients accelerate market leadership. SGM delivers assurance, tax, transactions and advisory services to thousands of companies spanning all industries. Ernst & Young is the undisputed leader in taking companies public, advising key government agencies on the issues impacting high-growth companies and convening the experts who shape the business climate. For more information, please visit us at ey.com/us/strategicgrowthmarkets, or follow news on Twitter at EY_Growth.

About Ernst & Young

Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 167,000 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.

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

SOURCE Ernst & Young LLP