EY Announces Entrepreneur Of The Year 2014 Award® Finalists for the Southeast Program

ATLANTA, May 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- EY today announced the finalists for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2014 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.

The business leaders were selected by a panel of independent judges. Collectively, the finalists grew their companies' employment by 44% and their revenues by nearly 37% between 2011 and 2013.

Award recipients will be announced at a special gala on June 26 at the InterContinental Buckhead Hotel in Atlanta.

The finalists by category are:

Distribution and Manufacturing

R. Michael Johnson, Cox Industries, Orangeburg, SC
Charles A. Lingenfelter, Industrial Distribution Group, Belmont, NC
Chad A. Martin, Eco Energy Global Biofuels, LLC, Franklin, TN

Financial Services

Keith A. Luedeman, goodmortgage.com, Charlotte, NC
Brian E. Simpson, CommunityOne Bancorp, Charlotte, NC
Claire W. Tucker, CapStar Bank, Nashville, TN

Food and Beverage

Cameron W. McRae, Tands, Inc. and Affiliates, Kinston, NC
Michael D. Olander, The Apple Gold Group, Raleigh, NC
Karl A. Schledwitz, Monogram Food Solutions, LLC, Memphis, TN

Health Care and Life Sciences

Mark G. Gilreath, EndoChoice, Inc., Alpharetta, GA
Craig P. Goguen, DSI Renal, Nashville, TN
Michael V. Mullen, Atherotech Diagnostics Lab, Birmingham, AL

Hospitality and Retail

Dane Scism, Cellular Sales, Knoxville, TN
Steven B. Tanger, Tanger Outlet Centers, Greensboro, NC
Satya Tiwari, Surya, Inc., Calhoun, GA

Media and Communications

Lewis W. Dickey Jr., Cumulus Media, Inc., Atlanta, GA
Wain Kellum, Vocalcity, Atlanta, GA
Hubert Thieblot, Curse, Inc, Huntsville, AL

Services

Tom Beaty, Insight Sourcing Group, Norcross, GA
Tom Finegan, Clarkston Consulting, Durham, NC
Lynn Massingale, MD, TeamHealth, Knoxville, TN

Technology

Brent Howison, The Remi Group, Charlotte, NC
Lynne Laube, Cardlytics, Inc., Atlanta, GA
Mort O'Sullivan, ARCA, Mebane, NC

"We are very lucky to have such an outstanding list of finalists represent our region in this global award program," said Connie Austin, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Program Partner.  "These entrepreneurs have such a great dedication to innovation and strong focus on their communities, clearly demonstrating how increasingly important their role is in the business world.  We look forward to highlighting their successes at our award gala."

The members of the independent judging panel for the 2014 program are:

Becky Blalock, Managing Partner, Advisory Capital, Atlanta, Ga
Bill Boyd, Chairman, Agility Recovery, Charlotte, NC
Mike Cote, General Manager, Dell SecureWorks, Atlanta, Ga
Amy Medendorp, Corporate Executive, Community Leader, Board member, Atlanta, Ga
Karen Robinson, EVP of Business Development, NanoLumens, Atlanta, Ga
Joe Scarlett, Retired Chairman and CEO of Tractor Supply Company, Founder of the Scarlett Leadership Institute, Nashville, TN
Richard Staub, President, Novella Clinical, Durham, NC

Now in its 28th year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Program has expanded globally to recognize company builders in over 145 cities and in more than 60 countries throughout the world.

Regional award recipients go on to compete at the national level. Award recipients in several national categories, as well as the National EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall Award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California, on November 15, 2014. The awards are the culminating event of the EY Strategic Growth Forum^®, the nation's most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by EY, 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, Merrill Communications LLC, PNC and Vaco.

About EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world's most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The unique award 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 award 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 more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries.

About EY's Strategic Growth Markets

EY's Strategic Growth Markets (SGM) practices guide leading high-growth companies. Our multidisciplinary teams of elite professionals provide 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. EY 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 @EY_Growth.

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.

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