EY announces Alison Gutterman of Jelmar as Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2017 Award winner in Midwest

The third-generation family business owner joins three decades of groundbreaking entrepreneurs

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Jun 26, 2017, 14:13 ET

CHICAGO, June 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- EY has announced that Alison Gutterman, CEO and President of Jelmar, the cleaning products manufacturer of CLR® and Tarn-X® brands, received the Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2017 Award in the Family Business category of the Midwest program. The award recognizes entrepreneurs who are excelling in areas, such as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Alison was selected by an independent panel of judges, who presented the award at a black tie gala on June 21 in Chicago.

Alison Gutterman, Jelmar CEO and President, Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2017 Award winner

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2017 Award Winner logo

As Jelmar's first woman president and CEO, Alison has sought to drive innovation while remaining true to the company's mission of making great cleaning products. The company, which is currently celebrating the 50^th anniversary of its flagship product – Tarn-X® Tarnish Remover – was started by Alison's grandfather, Manny Gutterman, and succeeded by her father, Arthur Gutterman. Under Alison's leadership, Jelmar has expanded its distribution to nearly 100,000 retail outlets due to Alison's success in bringing new ideas forward and evolving the company while still sustaining its loyalty through generations.

"EY has been recognizing leading entrepreneurs for over three decades," said Rye Butman, Entrepreneur Of The Year Program Director for the Midwest program. "The class of winners in 2017 represent new ways of thinking, disruptive business models and overall dynamism that make this country a great place to do business."

"Leading Jelmar is much more than a leading business," said Gutterman. "It's also an opportunity to honor the legacy of my family, empower other women leaders and cultivate an environment of lifelong learning for our tight-knit Jelmar family. What better time to be honored as an Entrepreneur Of The Year winner than in the year of Tarn-X's 50^th anniversary."

Since 1986, EY has honored entrepreneurs whose ingenuity, spirit of innovation and discipline have driven their companies' success, transformed their industries and made a positive impact on their communities. Now in its 31st year, the program has honored the inspirational leadership of such entrepreneurs as:

Howard Schultz of Starbucks Coffee Company
Pierre Omidyar of eBay, Inc.
Mindy Grossman of HSN
Robert Unanue of Goya Foods
Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn
Andreas Bechtolsheim and Jayshree Ullal of Arista Networks
Hamdi Ulukaya of Chobani
James Park of Fitbit

As a Midwest award winner, Alison Gutterman is now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National program, where award winners will be announced at the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards gala in Palm Springs, California on November 18, 2017. The awards are the culminating event of the EY Strategic Growth Forum^™, the nation's most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies. The Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall Award winner then moves on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in Monaco in June 2018.

Sponsors
Founded and produced by EY, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored in the U.S. by SAP America, Merrill Corporation and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

Local sponsors for the Midwest program include Plexus Groupe, LaSalle Network, PNC, Becker Professional Education, Cresa, DLA Piper, Milwaukee Business Journal and 1871.

About Jelmar, LLC
Jelmar is a leading manufacturer of a broad range of household cleaning products, including CLR® and Tarn-X® brands of cleaners. Flagship CLR products include CLR® Calcium, Lime & Rust Remover, CLR Bath & Kitchen® Cleaner, CLR® Mold & Mildew Stain Remover, CLR Stain Magnet® and CLR Septic System Treatment®. With their unique formulas, the CLR brand gets the cleaning job done in virtually every area of the home. For more information, visit http://www.jelmar.com. You can also follow us on social media at @CLRCleaners on Twitter and www.facebook.com/CLRCleaners on Facebook.

About Entrepreneur Of The Year^®Entrepreneur Of The Year^®, founded by EY, is the world's most prestigious business awards program for entrepreneurs, chosen from an independent panel of judges including entrepreneurs and prominent leaders from business, finance and the local community. The program 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 awards program 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 over 145 cities in more than 60 countries. Learn more at ey.com/eoy.

About EY
EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities. EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.