EY announced the Ernst & Young 2015 Entrepreneur Of The Year winners in Northeast Ohio, recognizing high-growth entrepreneurs in innovation, financial performance and community involvement during a ceremony Thursday night. Find out who won.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - EY announced the Ernst & Young 2015 Entrepreneur Of The Year winners in Northeast Ohio, recognizing high-growth entrepreneurs in innovation, financial performance and community involvement.
Finalists and winners were selected by an independent panel of judges and honored at a formal gala at the Cleveland Convention Center late Thursday that attracted a packed ballroom.
This year's finalists generated more than $17.4 billion in revenue and more than 25,000 jobs by the end of 2014. In an informal survey, 95 percent said they plan to stay in Northeast Ohio as their businesses grow and 41 percent said they plan to expand internationally in the next two years.
"We're celebrating our finalists," said Dan Tompkins, program director who also served as co-moderator with Monica Potter, an actress, producer and entrepreneur from Cleveland. "It's an amazing event for our business community...It's our 29th year, and it's a big deal for us."
The winners for the 2015 Entrepreneur Of The Year in Northeast Ohio Award are:
Family Business: Richard Seaman, chairman and CEO, Seaman Corp., Wooster.
Community Impact: Akram Boutros, MD, FACHE, president and CEO, The MetroHealth System, Cleveland.
Real Estate: Kevin Weidinger, president and CEO, Laudan Properties, Twinsburg.
Technology: Sam Gerace, founder and CEO, Veritix, Cleveland.
Retail & Consumer Products: Anthony DeCarlo, Jr., co-founder and CEO, IdeaStream Consumer Products, LLC, Cleveland.
Manufacturing & Distribution: Ramzi Hermiz, president and CEO, Shiloh Industries, Valley City.
Services: Aaron Grossman, CEO, Alliance Solutions Group, Independence.
Non-Profit: Lee Freidman, CEO, College Now Greater Cleveland, Cleveland.
Sandy Cutler, chairman and CEO of Eaton Corp., won the 2015 Lifetime Achievement award, but shied away from the spotlight.
"We really appreciate the honor. It's really on the behalf of the whole team. We've got 102,000 entrepreneurs at Eaton, and they're the ones who make it all happen for our city and our region," he said.
So why does he call all of the people who work at this major corporation entrepreneurs? "Because every day they're innovating," he said. "Every day they're creating new solutions to support our customers. And every day they bring fresh insights to the workplace - and that's being entrepreneurial."
Ryan Nathaniel Hyde, 18, of Painesville is the student entrepreneur winner this year. His company, Ignited Innovations, makes concrete-based, environment-friendly products to enhance the decor of homes and living spaces.
"Our biggest and most valuable product is an innovative and unique cup, with brass under it, that can hold flames," said the college-bound, recent graduate of Thomas W. Harvey High School. "So it's almost like a campfire on your tabletop."
The awards program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries throughout the world. Regional winners go on to compete at the national level in several categories, where the National Entrepreneur Of The Year overall award winner is also recognized. National winners will be announced in November at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California.
Venture-backed companies that win an Entrepreneur Of The Year award regionally are also eligible for the Venture Capital Award of Excellence at the national level. The awards are the culminating event of the EY Strategic Growth Forum, the nation's most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market leading companies.
The opportunity to network with other high-growth entrepreneurs is critical to success, according to Northeast Ohio finalists who participated in an informal survey. The top three challenges they face as entrepreneurs: lack of mentoring from other entrepreneurs, access to capital and federal government regulations.
At every level, the awards are significant for finalists. EY is a global company that goes all out at the regional formal gala to recognize finalists. At the downtown convention center, life-size cutouts of finalists filled the ballroom's lobby. Confetti made with faces of finalists was all over tables that had shakers to cheer on entrepreneurs. Finalists who purchased tables at the event also found large fans with their faces printed on them.
Laura Cleveland seemed surprised by the huge fans and proudly held up one with her husband, Grant Cleveland. He's the CEO and founder of DuneCraft Inc., a company that creates unusual science and nature products, including terrariums, kid's gardens and classroom kits.
"I think it's great that E&Y thinks it's important to recognize entrepreneurs who stay in Cleveland and build companies that support our community," Cleveland said.