Michael I. Kaufman, founder, president and CEO, Kaufman Lynn Construction
FINALIST – Real Estate and Construction Michael I. Kaufman founder, president and CEO Kaufman Lynn Construction Michael I. Kaufman found himself out of work with a wife and four children to take care of. Instead of giving up, Kaufman decided to dust off his tools and take on odd jobs for homeowners. As he continued […]
Larry Porterfield, CEO, MidwayUSA
WINNER – Master Entrepreneur Larry Potterfield CEO MidwayUSA Larry Porterfield has learned throughout his career the importance of leading by example in order to drive change. As CEO of MidwayUSA, a catalog and Internet retailer of shooting, hunting and outdoor products, he has led his team to double-digit business growth and improved operational performance by […]
Emelio Castaneda, President, Field Fresh Foods Inc.
Finalist – Food Services When Emelio Castaneda, president of Field Fresh Foods Inc., was just 5 years old, his family members made the very difficult decision to leave their home, relatives and country for a better life. They fled communist Cuba for Spain, and two years later, they moved to Los Angeles. Castaneda watched his […]
Jon E. Kirchner, chairman and CEO, DTS Inc.
Winner – Technology Combining a competitive nature, a talent for teamwork and a desire to make a lasting impact in the audio technology industry, Jon E. Kirchner, chairman and CEO of DTS Inc., has dedicated himself to delivering best-in-class audio solutions. Kirchner has built an attractive, scalable, high-margin IP licensing business model that is sustained […]
Richard Degner, president and CEO, Global Geophysical Services
Oil Field Technology – Award Recipient Richard Degner had achieved more than many people do in an entire lifetime when he took a chance on launching Global Geophysical Services. He had spent 17 years working at an industry leader in geophysics before leaving to form PGS Onshore, the land and transition zone division of Norwegian […]
How Sharon Anderson Wright revived Half Price Books' lackluster sales
Early last summer, Half Price Books, Records, Magazines Inc.’s revenue started flattening out noticeably. Many of the Dallas-based chain’s 115 stores were recording lower-than-usual sales increases. Others stores were staring at a flat line, and a few stores were even seeing sales dip a bit. Sharon Anderson Wright, the company’s president and CEO, says the […]
Heidi Golledge, president and CEO, CyberCoders
FINALIST – Business Services Heidi Golledge president and CEO CyberCoders Heidi Golledge had every reason to be skeptical about the world when she lost her father. Truth be told, she never even got a chance to meet her father and has no idea what happened to him. He was a U.S. Marine pilot in the […]
How to prepare for retirement with a dress rehearsal now – Part 2
Robert A. Valente, RAV Financial Services LLC
John H. Weber, president and CEO, Remy International Inc.
Turnaround – Winner John Howard Weber’s entrepreneurial prowess and ability to make tough decisions are credited with turning around Remy International Inc. — a turnaround that saved 6,500 jobs. Joining the Pendleton, Ind.-based company as president and CEO in 2006, he put both his reputation and personal capital on the line to save the heavily […]
Nicholas Berchtold, president, Chemical Associates
FINALIST: Energy, Resources and Clean Technology Chemical Associates was formed in 1980 as a supplier of biologically derived organic chemicals. Ever since then, the business has been working to be a leader in the supply of the highest quality replenishable resources in the world. The business opportunity for the company was and remains the replacement […]