EY announces finalists for EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2015 in the Southwest Region

DALLAS, May 7, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- EY today announced the finalists for EY Entrepreneur Of The Year^® 2015 in the Southwest Region. The awards 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 from nearly 100 nominations by a panel of independent judges. Award winners will be announced at a special gala on Saturday, June 27, 2015 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas.

The finalists are:

Betty Manetta, President and CEO, Argent Associates, Inc., and Asociar LLC, Plano, Texas

Bill Shaddock, CEO, Bill Shaddock Companies, Plano, Texas

Raj Malik, President and CEO, BioWorld Merchandising Inc., Irving, Texas

Andrew Philipp, President, Clarus Glassboards, LLC, Fort Worth, Texas

Jeremy Rincon, Co-Founder, Clarus Glassboards, LLC, Fort Worth, Texas

Robby Whites, Co-Founder, Clarus Glassboards, LLC, Fort Worth, Texas

Chris Crosby, CEO, Compass Datacenters, Dallas, Texas

Carlos Vaz, President and Founder, CONTI Organization, Addison, Texas

Rohit Mehrotra, CEO, CPSG Partners LLC, Dallas, Texas

John Reardon, Founder and CEO, Deep Ellum Brewing Co., Dallas, Texas

Roland Dickey, Jr., CEO, Dickey's Barbecue, Dallas, Texas

Cindy Sheriff, President and COO, E4 Health, Inc., Irving, Texas

Bill Mulcahy, CEO, E4 Health, Inc., Irving, Texas

Matt Alexander, CEO, Edition Collective, Dallas, Texas

Mike Karns, CEO, Firebird Restaurant Group, LLC, Dallas, Texas

Greg Lanham, CEO, FTS International, Fort Worth, Texas

Abe Issa, CEO and Founder, Global Efficient Energy, Fort Worth, Texas

Tom Bronson, President and CEO, Granbury Solutions, Grapevine, Texas

Carey Hobbs, President and CEO, Hobbs Bonded Fibers, Waco, Texas

Rick Illes, CEO and President, Illes Seasonings & Flavors, Carrollton, Texas

John Watters, Chairman and CEO, iSIGHT Partners, Dallas, Texas

Richard Collins, Chairman and CEO, Istation, Dallas, Texas

Steve Van Amburgh, CEO, KDC, Dallas, Texas

Chris MacFarland, CEO, Masergy Communications Inc., Plano, Texas

Matt Johnson, CEO, McFarlin Group, Dallas, Texas

Kevin Lavelle, CEO and Founder, Mizzen+Main, Dallas, Texas

Caroline Reaves, CEO, Mortgage Contracting Services, Plano, Texas

Mehul Patel, Chairman and CEO, NewcrestImage, Lewisville, Texas

Chris Bradford, President, Newline Interactive, Plano, Texas

Kevin Wang, CEO, Newline Interactive, Plano, Texas

Mark Dubrow, President and CEO, Onyx Payments, Dallas, Texas

Rick Allen, RPh, President and CEO, Paragon Healthcare, Inc., Dallas, Texas

Christopher Richey, President, PetData, Farmers Branch, Texas

Beau LaMothe, CEO, PGL, Irving, Texas

Thomas Fagadau, President and CEO, Primexx Energy Partners, Dallas, Texas

Randy Gier, Chief Eating Officer, Rave Restaurant Group, The Colony, Texas

Amber Venz Box, President and Co-Founder, rewardStyle, Dallas, Texas

Baxter Box, CEO and Co-Founder, rewardStyle, Dallas, Texas

Carey Boethel, President and CEO, Securadyne Systems, Dallas, Texas

Daniel Tinker, President and COO, SRS Distribution Inc., McKinney, Texas

Garold Swan, VP and CFO, SRS Distribution Inc., McKinney, Texas

John Davis, VP and General Counsel, SRS Distribution Inc., McKinney, Texas

Ronald Ross, Chairman and CEO, SRS Distribution Inc., McKinney, Texas

Scott Everett, President and Founder, Supreme Lending, Dallas, Texas

Bart Simmons, President and Co-Owner, Tristar Companies, Richardson, Texas

Steven Bolos, Principal, UR Holdings, Carrollton, Texas

Victor Keller, Jr., Founder and Partner, ZAK Products, Irving, Texas

Patrick Brandt, CEO, Zimbra, Frisco, Texas

Rick Spurr, CEO, ZixCorp, Dallas, Texas

The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Southwest panel of independent judges also selected two iconic entrepreneurs for recognition:  Doug Parker, Chairman and CEO, American Airlines Group, and Glenn Beck, Founder and CEO, Mercury Radio Arts.

Mr. Parker has worked in the airline business since 1986, when he first joined American.  He has long been a proponent of consolidation in the airline industry, and in 2005, he led a merger of America West and US Airways. In 2013 he helped bring together US Airways and American Airlines, and was named CEO of American Airlines Group. American is the largest airline in the world, with a network throughout North America, the Caribbean, South America, Europe, and Asia. The company is based in Fort Worth, Texas, and runs hubs in Charlotte, N.C., Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Washington DC.

Mr. Beck is not only an American television personality and radio host, but also a successful entrepreneur. Mr. Beck is the leader of an innovative, entrepreneurial-spirited media empire.  He is the founder and CEO of Mercury Radio Arts, a multimedia production company that produces and delivers content for radio, television, publishing, the stage, and the Internet. His company is home to the successful entities of TheBlaze, the 1791 clothing brand, and Mercury Ink, a publishing imprint through Simon & Shuster.

Now in its 29th year, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries throughout the world.  Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year National Program.  Award winners in several national categories, as well as the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California, on November 14, 2015. 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 is sponsored in the United States by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and SAP America. In the Southwest Region, sponsors include BBVA Compass, Colliers International, Haynes and Boone LLP, Roach Howard Smith & Barton, Merrill Corp., bkm Total Office of Texas, D CEO Magazine and SocialStrategy1.

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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This news release has been issued by Ernst & Young LLP, an EY member firm serving clients in the US.

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