EY announces finalists for EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2016 in the Southwest Region

DALLAS, May 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- EY today announced the finalists for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2016 in the Southwest program. The awards program recognizes entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in areas such 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 the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® Awards Gala on Saturday, June 25, 2016 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas.

The finalists are:

Anurag Jain, Chairman, Access Healthcare

Justin Magnuson, CEO, Alliance Family of Companies, Inc.

Conor Butts, COO, Alliance Family of Companies, Inc.

Gene Needles, Chairman, President and CEO, American Beacon Advisors

William Short, CEO, Ameriflex

Adie von Gontard, Founder, APAA Investments

Raj Malik, President, Bioworld Merchandising, Inc.

Bruce Schultz, CEO, Boardroom Salon for Men

Julio Rios, CEO and President, Bridger Logistics

Hal Brierley, Chairman Emeritus, Brierley & Partners, Inc.

Merrilee Kick, President, BuzzBallz, LLC

John Avila, Chairman, Byrne Construction Services

Steve Grimshaw, CEO, Caliber Collision

Sulman Ahmed, Founder and CEO, DECA Dental Group

Scott Harper, Co-Founder and CEO, Dialexa

Mark Haidar, Co-Founder and Chairman, Dialexa

Chris Roussos, President and CEO, Epic Health Services

Debbie Frazier, Owner, etc. Group

Larry Johnson, Director and CEO, Fogo de Chão

David Batt, CEO, FPX

Michael Dardick, CEO, Granite Properties

Greg Fuller, President and CEO, Granite Properties

John Rochon, Founder and Vice Chairman, JRJR Networks

Charlie Brindell, Chairman and CEO, Mill Creek Residential Trust LLC

Kevin Lavelle, CEO and Founder, Mizzen+Main

Nathan Hanks, CEO and Founder, Music Audience Exchange

Chris Bradford, President, Newline Interactive

Kevin Wang, CEO, Newline Interactive

Troy Andrews, CEO, Paradigm Energy Partners, LLC

Jon McDonald, Corporate Development, Paradigm Energy Partners, LLC

Steve Koontz, EVP, Corporate Development, Paradigm Energy Partners, LLC

Mike Willoughby, CEO, PFSweb

Yasser Khan, President, Plasma Business Intelligence, Inc.

Suzy Batiz, Chief Poo Officer, Poo~Pourri

Rick Scheer, Co-Founder and CEO, Red River Tea Company

Jeff Farris, Co-Founder and President, Red River Tea Company

Steve Gray, CEO, RSP Permian

Amy Laws, Co-Founder, Smocked Auctions

Nicole Brewer, Co-Founder, Smocked Auctions

Larry Lawson, President and CEO, Spirit AeroSystems, Inc.

Johnny Powers, Founder and CEO, Suntex Marinas

Rick Skaggs, Founder and President, Technology Service Professionals

Frank Gonzalez, Founder and CEO, Technology Service Professionals

Barclay Berdan, CEO, Texas Health Resources

Adam Teague, CEO, The Two Guys Bow Tie Company

Tim Paslay, Chief Designer, The Two Guys Bow Tie Company

Steven Bolos, Principal, UR Holdings

Adil Adi, Chairman and CEO, WorldLink

Vic Keller, Owner and Founder, ZAK Products

Kevin Miles, CEO and President, Zoës Kitchen

Now in its 30th 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 19, 2016. 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 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® Awards is sponsored in the United States by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, SAP America and Merrill Corporation. In the Southwest program, sponsors include BBVA Compass, Colliers International, Haynes and Boone LLP, RHSB, M&M Event Rentals, D CEO Magazine and SocialStrategy1.

Company Boilerplate

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 practice

EY's Strategic Growth Markets (SGM) practice guides 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.

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.

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

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