How Daphne Preuss grows Chromatin, Inc. with a ‘culture of intensity’
Private Equity/Venture Capital Backed FINALIST As the president and CEO of Chromatin, Inc., Daphne Preuss brought with her the leadership mentality of confronting obstacles from her time spent in academia as a researcher. In that field, outcomes are uncertain, questions are numerous and results vary. There, a focused leader who is prepared to execute the […]
How John Magee is growing a niche logistics company that won’t become all things for all people
Distribution & Manufacturing FINALIST John Magee President Crane Worldwide Logistics After working for a logistics company called Eagle Logistics for many years, John Magee concluded that the business he once knew and loved was no longer for him. He resigned subject to a 12-month non-compete agreement. Magee and eight other former Eagle executives, all with […]
How Trevor Burgess uses innovative ways to differentiate C1 Bank from the others
Financial Services AWARD RECIPIENT Trevor Burgess CEO and founder C1 Bank Trevor Burgess had a well-established career at Morgan Stanley when he was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug — big time. He risked his entire life savings in 2009 and started C1 Bank with $15 million in capital from himself and his business partners. But […]
How John Larry Sanders is nurturing company growth at Specialty Fertilizer Products
STL Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Agriculture & Plant Sciences Winner John Larry Sanders, Ph.D. President and CEO Specialty Fertilizer Products, LLC Dr. John Larry Sanders first had the vision for his company while he was growing up on a farm in East Texas. He wanted to someday help farmers, like […]
SS&G’s leaders found that when they accentuate the difference, success follows
When Gary Shamis, Bob Littman and Mark Goldfarb created the accounting and business consulting firm SS&G Inc. in 1987, the trio had a vision that defied the traditional accounting world. Their radical idea: Focus on people. “It was a real sweatshop kind of mentality for the profession,” Goldfarb says. “You worked 3,000 hours a year […]
How Andrew Sieja has continually worked to grow kCura through different company cultures
Technology WINNER Andrew Sieja began his career as a computer programmer specializing in knowledge management solutions and Web storage — and after a few years, the entrepreneur bug bit him. In 2001, he and two friends pooled their resources to form their own software-consulting firm, kCura. After a few years, Sieja, president and CEO, realized […]
How Michael Butler had the backbone to make Life Spine a nimble company
Health Care FINALIST When Michael Butler founded Life Spine, Inc. 10 years ago, his objective was to focus on a specialty of orthopedics — customized approaches to spinal surgery. He felt that he could create a company that would be flexible enough to quickly respond to these specialized surgeon requests. Life Spine has become a […]
How J.P. Fingado leads API Healthcare by building on strengths, not weaknesses
Health Care FINALIST With J.P. Fingado as its CEO, API Healthcare has more than doubled the number of hospitals and staffing agency clients it serves and is regarded as the nation’s leader in healthcare-specific workforce management technology. Fingado’s ability to drive such success at API Healthcare is because of his capacity to lead the people […]
How Neil Grimmer and Plum Organics are changing how babies are fed
NCA Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Retail and Consumer Products Award recipient Neil Grimmer CEO and co-founder Plum Organics As CEO and co-founder of Plum Organics, Neil Grimmer created one of the leading suppliers in the national organic baby food market. The idea began when he and his wife had their […]
How Heather Sanderson was inspired to develop promotions with Overture
Services FINALIST The inspiration from mentors that Heather Sanderson received while developing as a professional didn’t go unnoticed — it helped her become an entrepreneur. While raising a family as a single mother in California, she met other successful women entrepreneurs at networking events, and the wheels began to turn. When she relocated to the […]