EY Announces Joe Kudla of Vuori as an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2022 Pacific Southwest Award Winner

ENCINITAS, Calif., June 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced that Joe Kudla, Founder and CEO of Vuori, was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year^® 2022 Pacific Southwest Award winner. Entrepreneur Of The Year is one of the preeminent competitive business awards for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies who think big to succeed. An independent panel of judges selected Kudla based on his entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact, among other core contributions and attributes.

Established in 2015, Vuori has grown to unicorn status thanks to its differentiated, versatile perspective on performance apparel. In October 2021, Vuori was valued at $4 billion by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, which invested $400 million in the brand. Both the investment and valuation are believed to be among the largest in history for a non-public apparel company. Most recently, Vuori also announced its international expansion into seven countries including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Australia, and Canada.

"I am extremely honored to be recognized as an EY Pacific Southwest Entrepreneur Of The Year," said Joe Kudla, Founder and CEO of Vuori. "At Vuori, we strive to bring our customers the best quality products while sharing our story in an authentic way. We are excited about our continued growth in the years to come, bringing Vuori to customers around the world."

As a Pacific Southwest award winner, Kudla will now be considered by the National independent panel of judges for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2022 National Awards. National finalists and winners, as well as the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced in November at the annual Strategic Growth Forum^®. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award in June 2023.

In addition to this exciting accolade, Kudla was also named Glossy's Founder of the Year on Thursday, June 16. The 2022 Glossy Awards honor the companies and campaigns that have helped define the worlds of beauty and fashion over the past year. Kudla was recognized with this award for his groundbreaking work with Vuori and renowned leadership, resulting in key investments and strategic growth initiatives for the brand.

Launched in 2015, Vuori merges technical clothing with a West Coast aesthetic that looks and feels great. When creating Vuori, Founder Joe Kudla didn't have to look far for inspiration; headquartered in the aspirational beach community of Encinitas, CA, the brand is a natural extension of its home environment where active, conscious and creative people inspire those around them every day. In addition to a thriving international e-commerce business and physical stores in Austin, Berkeley, Boston, Boulder, Cherry Creek, Del Mar, Encinitas, La Jolla, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Newport Beach, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, San Jose, Scottsdale, Studio City, and Venice Beach, Vuori is also sold in select international wholesale locations as well as most Nordstrom and REI stores. Please visit www.vuoriclothing.com for more information.

Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world's most prestigious business awards program for unstoppable entrepreneurs. These visionary leaders deliver innovation, growth and prosperity that transform our world. The program engages entrepreneurs with insights and experiences that foster growth. It connects them with their peers to strengthen entrepreneurship around the world. Entrepreneur Of The Year is the first and only truly global awards program of its kind. It celebrates entrepreneurs through regional and national awards programs in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries. National overall winners go on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ title. ey.com/us/eoy

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SOURCE Vuori