Noel Cuellar, President and CEO, Primera Plastics Inc.
Finalist, Manufacturing Since founding Primera Plastics Inc. 18 years ago, Noel Cuellar has led his team of injection molders through times of expansion and recession with a focus on the company’s people. The consideration that Cuellar shows for his employees has fostered a corporate atmosphere built on the success of the individuals who work for […]
Tel K. Ganesan, President and CEO, Kyyba Inc.
Finalist, Staffing & Support Services Tel Ganesan likes to be told something can’t be done. His response? “Watch me.” This can-do, risk-all attitude has served him well. He tapped all his personal financial resources seven years ago to launch Kyyba Inc., a home-based operation specializing in providing IT and engineering services to companies. Today, as […]
Steve Carter, president, Knight Hawk Coal LLC
WINNER – Industrial Manufacturing and Mining Steve Carter president Knight Hawk Coal LLC When Steve Carter announced in 1997 that he was creating a coal mining company in southern Illinois, the reaction was a mix of hope and skepticism. At the time, Illinois’ mining industry had all but been gutted with employment dropping 64 percent […]
Christopher J. O’Connor, President and CEO, Humanetics Innovative Solutions
Winner, Manufacturing Christopher J. O’Connor is no stranger to challenges. He still serves as a senior officer in the U.S. Army Reserves and has experience leading some of the nation’s biggest businesses. So when he was asked to turn around First Technology Safety Systems, he was not intimidated a bit. The company manufactures the crash […]
Jeffery S. Prough, President and CEO, Critical Signal Technologies Inc.
Finalist, Services In 2006, few investors were prepared to back a start-up company, let alone one in a relatively unknown industry. However, Jeffery Prough identified a void in the approach to caregiving and recognized that many problems could be resolved preserving people’s independence through the application of technology. His unwavering determination to succeed, industry knowledge […]
Jerry Shaw Jr., president; Tom Kalishman, chairman and CEO; SAK Construction LLC
FINALISTS SAK Construction LLC was born seven years ago when co-workers Jerry Shaw Jr. and Tom Kalishman walked away from the construction company where they worked because they had grown disillusioned with the company’s policies and philosophy. Kalishman and Shaw thought their employer’s approach, like that of many other construction companies, was becoming too focused […]
Douglas J. Grimm, Chairman, President and CEO, Grede Holdings LLC
Winner, Industrial Products Douglas J. Grimm was stepping into a chaotic situation in 2008, but you wouldn’t have known it by his approach. He was leading a business that had just gone through bankruptcy and was in the process of merging with two other companies who were in the same dire situation. On top of […]
Alan Woll, CEO, Network Polymers Inc.
FINALIST: Industrial and Engineered Products and Materials Alan Woll knew he wasn’t going to reinvent the wheel when he co-founded Network Polymers Inc. 26 years ago. His avenue for success lay in differentiating from competitors through outstanding customer service offerings and quality, sustainable products. The Akron-Ohio based company is a global leader and single source […]
Benny Lee, CEO, DuraComm Corp.
FINALIST Benny Lee CEO DuraComm Corp. Benny Lee had become the majority shareholder of DuraComm Corp., an industrial power supply builder and distributor, and right away, he knew something had to be improved. Lee, who is now CEO and sole owner, saw that the company was tied to one large national customer, which he believed […]
Mike Morhaime, co-founder, president and CEO, Blizzard Entertainment Inc.
WINNER – Technology Mike Morhaime co-founder, president and CEO Blizzard Entertainment Inc. In February 1991, Michael Morhaime co-founded Blizzard Entertainment Inc. with Allen Adham and Frank Pearce. Morhaime, who now leads the company as president and CEO, has grown the company from a third-party development studio into a premier publisher of entertainment software, including 13 […]