Columbus entrepreneurs among E&Y award finalists - Business First of Columbus

Columbus entrepreneurs among E&Y award finalists - Business First of Columbus

Ernst & Young LLP has announced the finalists for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for South Central Ohio and Kentucky, a pack that includes two Columbus executives.

The awards recognize people who build and lead growing and dynamic businesses, with winners selected by an independent panel of regional business, academic and community leaders.

Awards will be presented June 24 at the Duke Energy Center in Cincinnati.

Winners will advance to compete for a national Entrepreneur of the Year award, which will be presented Nov. 13 in Palm Springs, Calif., hosted by comedian and NBC Tonight Show host Jay Leno.

The winner of the national award will compete for the World Entrepreneur of the Year Award, which will be presented in June 2011.

Local finalists for the region are:

• Dr. Peter Clarkson, president and CEO, AC Lens of Columbus;

• Andrew Jacobs, president and CEO, Influent Inc. of Columbus.

The remaining regional finalists are:

• Carey Smith, CEO, Big Ass Fans, Lexington, Ky.;

• Phillip Rielly, president, BioRX LLC, Cincinnati;

• Robert Evans, president and CEO, Churchill Downs Inc., Louisville;

• Mark Crane, senior vice president of enterprise development, Greater Louisville Inc., Louisville;

• Craig Jones, president and CEO, Jones Plastic & Engineering Corp., Louisville;

• Jim Kennedy, president and CEO, Ohio Mutual Insurance Group, Bucyrus, Ohio;

• Cedric Francois, president and CEO, Potentia Pharmaceuticals Inc., Louisville;

• Andrew Beck, president and senior portfolio manager, River Road Asset Management LLC, Louisville;

• Rob Daly, partner, Silverstone Advisors, Cincinnati;

• Mike Lyons, president, SimPak International LLC, Louisville;

• Matt Kubancik, CEO, Street Moda LLC, Louisville;

• Rick Kueber, CEO, Sun Tan City LLC, Elizabethtown, Ky.;

• Billy Cyr, CEO, Sunny Delight Beverages Co., Cincinnati;

• Tim Morrison and Christopher Morrison, co-founders, The Geode Group, Liberty Township, Ohio.

Additional information about the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year program is available at www.ey.com/us/eoy.

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