Area business leaders win entrepreneur award
PITTSBURGH – Leaders of three Washington County companies were among those recognized Friday for their entrepreneurship at Ernst & Young’s EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award in Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
The group of leading entrepreneurs was selected by an independent judging panel made up of previous winners of the award, leading chief executive officers, private capital investors and other regional business leaders. The winners were announced at a special gala at the Wyndham Grand Hotel.
“EY has honored outstanding entrepreneurs for the past 28 years,” said Kim Gillespie and Darrell Smalley, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year program directors for Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. “These business leaders are accomplished entrepreneurs who have contributed a tremendous amount to the community.”
The 2014 winners included: Dean Grose, president, Comtech Industries Inc., North Strabane Township; William F. Sarris, president, Sarris Candies Inc., Canonsburg; and Heather Bresch, chief executive officer of Mylan Inc., Southpointe, who received the Global Impact Award.
Others receiving the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award were Michael A. Cherock, PE, CEO and president, AE Works Ltd.; John P. Burke, CEO, Armada; Luis von Ahn, PhD, CEO and founder, Duolingo; and Edward Perrin, CEO, Karndean Designflooring.
David Levine, CEO, NuGo Nutrition; Paul Hennigan, PhD, president, Point Park University; and Pamela Petrow, president and CEO, Vector Security.
Richard P. Simmons, former chairman, president and CEO of Allegheny Teledyne Inc. and a Pittsburgh philanthropist, was awarded the Master Entrepreneur Of The Year Award.
The Entrepreneur Of The Year program honors entrepreneurs regionally in June, leading up to the national awards in November. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner then moves on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award.
Now in its 28th year, the program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries.
Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year National Program.
Award winners in several national categories, as well as the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, Calif., Nov. 15.