How Christian Friedland used a ‘never good enough’ attitude to generate millions in sales at Build.com
NCA Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Platform Technology Finalist Chris Friedland president and founder Build.com In 2000, Christian Friedland had the idea of bringing the home improvement business into the 21st century with a specialty e-commerce website selling faucets and fixtures — faucetdirect.com. With only $2,000 in start-up capital and the […]
Honoring the best of the best
NCA Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2013 Since 1986, Ernst & Young has celebrated the entrepreneurial spirit of men and women who have followed and achieved their dreams, changing the lives of countless others by building their businesses and giving back to their communities. Their passion, vision and persistence stand as a testament […]
How Peter Anthony makes employees into team members at UGN
Industrial and Distribution FINALIST When Peter C. Anthony took over as president and CEO of UGN, Inc., the first action he took was indicative of his philosophy. He changed the company’s term of “employee” to “team member.” His philosophy was that everyone at UGN is part of the same family, or team. In a complex […]
How Dinesh Ravishanker is living his dream and driving CallFire to ever greater heights
Technology FINALIST Dinesh Ravishanker and a team of graduates from the University of California, Irvine, did not have a lot of money in 2004 when they set out to launch what has become a game-changing business in CallFire. But they had a passion for innovation and the energy to build a company that would transform […]
How David Dunlap steered Superior Energy clear of fallout from an oil spill
Transformational AWARD RECIPIENT David D. Dunlap President and CEO Superior Energy Services, Inc. David Dunlap began his role as the CEO of Superior Energy Services, Inc. at a momentous time — the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill had occurred just nine days earlier. With that catastrophic event as a backdrop, Dunlap realized that with about […]
How Aaron Bell has stuck to his guns to make AdRoll a must for advertisers
NCA Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Advertising Technology Finalist Aaron Bell founder and CEO AdRoll Aaron Bell’s background and path leading up to establishing advertising firm AdRoll is quite remarkable. Before becoming CEO of his own company, Bell was programming and creating video game software that was sold and distributed nationally […]
How Matt Matros visualized himself as the customer of Protein Bar
Emerging Entrepreneur FINALIST Matt Matros, founder and CEO of Protein Bar, pays attention to details — after all, that is what counts to his customers. So every little detail from the lighting and carpet, to the volume of hip-hop music playing in the restaurant is vitally important to building the customer experience. Customer feedback, submitted […]
How William Scott Duennes is setting the standard for social responsibility at Cornucopia
NEO Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Education and Non-profit Finalist William Scott Duennes executive director Cornucopia, Inc. Before the term “social enterprise” was coined, Cornucopia, Inc./Nature’s Bin, under the direction of William Scott Duennes, was a leader in setting the standard for socially responsible companies in northeast Ohio. Duennes joined Cornucopia […]
How Drs. Katie Rodan and Kathy Fields are solving skincare issues with Rodan + Fields
NCA Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Retail and Consumer Products Finalist Dr. Katie Rodan, Dr. Kathy Fields Co-founders Rodan + Fields Drs. Katie Rodan and Kathy Fields began their careers with a do-it-yourself attitude and have maintained that spirit in all their ventures. They met while carrying out their dermatology residencies […]
How Robert Griggs continually reinvested in Trinity Products to build a leading pipe producer
STL Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist Robert Griggs President Trinity Products, Inc. Since founding Trinity Products, Inc. with two partners in 1979, Robert Griggs has been taking huge personal risks. At its inception, Trinity had only a rented office space with four telephones, one employee and a borrowed debt of […]