Finalists for Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2010 Awards in Central Midwest Announced

KANSAS CITY, Mo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Ernst & Young LLP is pleased to announce the finalists for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® award in the Central Midwest. This group of outstanding entrepreneurs was selected by an independent judging panel made up of regional business, academic and community leaders. The winners will be revealed at a gala event on June 2, 2010 at the Sheraton Overland Park Hotel.

“Entrepreneurship is especially vital as our nation recovers from recession,” said Randy Buseman, Ernst & Young Partner, Strategic Growth Markets. “These finalists create jobs in our area, encouraging healthy growth, development and innovation in the local economy.”

The Central Midwest program recognizes companies based in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska. The Central Midwest finalists for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award in 2010 are:

• Christopher H. Atayan, AMCON Distributing Company (Omaha, NE)
• Keith Molzer, Balance Innovations (Lenexa, KS)
• Joe Ratterman, BATS Global Markets (Lenexa, KS)
• Jerry Howe, Big River Telephone Company (Cape Girardeau, MO)
• Mike Binnette, Stacey Goldman, and Steve Hunt, Cannonball Advertising and Promotion (Clayton, MO)
• Russell Hornsby, Cepia LLC (Clayton, MO)
• Pack St. Clair, Cobalt Boats (Neodesha, KS)
• Matthew E. Rubel, Collective Brands, Inc.(Topeka, KS)
• John Bloomhall, Diamond V Mills, Inc. (Cedar Rapids, IA)
• Robert G. Riley, Feed Energy Company (Des Moines, IA)
• Charlotte A. Martin, Gateway EDI LLC (Saint Louis, MO)
• Kent Schien, Innoventor, Inc. (Earth City, MO)
• Richard M. Vohs, Iowa Network Services, Inc. (West Des Moines, IA)
• Jerry Lee Jost, Jost Chemical Co. (Saint Louis, MO)
• Thad W. Simons, Jr., Novus International, Inc. (Saint Charles, MO)
• Robert B. Weiner, PAS Technologies Inc. (North Kansas City, MO)
• Chad L. Williams, Quality Technology Services (Overland Park, KS)
• Jeffrey Stroburg, Renewable Energy Group (Ames, IA)
• David LeCompte, Short's Travel Management, Inc. (Overland Park, KS)
• Pasquale Trozzolo, Trozzolo Communications Group (Kansas City, MO)
• L. Thomas Duvall, TruckMover.com (Kansas City, MO)
• Rick Webb, Watco Companies, Inc. (Pittsburg, KS)
• Thomas E. Phillips, Jr., Weekends Only Furniture Outlet (Saint Louis, MO)
• Mike Wells, Wells' Dairy, Inc. (Le Mars, IA)
• Brad Pittenger, Xiolink (Saint Louis, MO)

The Entrepreneur Of The Year program honors entrepreneurs regionally in June, leading up to the national awards in November. Additionally, venture-backed companies that win an Entrepreneur Of The Year award regionally are also eligible for the Venture Capital Award of Excellence on a national level. The overall national US winner then moves on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year title in June 2011.

This year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year awards program celebrates its 24th anniversary. The program has expanded to recognize business leaders in over 135 cities in 50 countries throughout the world. Awards are given to entrepreneurs who demonstrate extraordinary success in the areas of innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Entrepreneurs are nominated and evaluated by those in each region, including local business, academic and community leaders.

All regional honorees are invited to the national Entrepreneur Of The Year gala, hosted by Jay Leno, on November 13, 2010 in Palm Springs, California. The gala is the culminating event of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum®, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies. For more information on the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum, please visit www.ey.com/us/strategicgrowthforum.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year awards are pleased to have the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and SAP America as national sponsors.

In the Central Midwest, sponsors include Lockton Companies, Inc. and Smart Business magazine. Locally, the program is sponsored by Faegre & Benson LLP, Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP and Common Ground Public Relations.

Contact information

To make reservations for the Entrepreneur Of The Year awards gala on June 2, 2010 contact Linda Wutich of Ernst & Young at +1 816 480 5334 or linda.wutich@ey.com. Tickets are $150 per person. For more information about the program, please visit www.ey.com/us/eoy.

About Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur Of The Year

Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The award makes a difference through the unique way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 135 cities in 50 countries.

About Ernst & Young

Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 144,000 people are united by our shared values and an unwavering commitment to quality. We make a difference by helping our people, our clients and our wider communities achieve their potential.

For more information, please visit www.ey.com.

Ernst & Young refers to the global organization of member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young LLP is a client-serving member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited located in the U.S.