EY Announces Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2022 Heartland Finalists

MINNEAPOLIS--()--Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced the finalists for the Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2022 Heartland Award. The Heartland program celebrates entrepreneurs from Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. Entrepreneur Of The Year is one of the preeminent competitive business awards for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies who think big to succeed.

The 2022 Heartland finalists are:

Byron Whetstone | American Direct | Lenexa, Kansas

Sam Anderson | Bay & Bay | Eagan, Minnesota

Jeff Crivello | BBQ Holdings, Inc. | Hopkins, Minnesota

Greg Siwak | CareVet | Clayton, Missouri

Josiah Cox | Central States Water Resources | St. Louis, Missouri

Dave Perrill | Compute North | Eden Prairie, Minnesota

Dr. Subodh Kulkarni | CyberOptics Corporation | Minneapolis, Minnesota

Jay Kim | DataLocker | Overland Park, Kansas

Barry McCarthy | Deluxe | Minneapolis, Minnesota

Todd Keske | Foam Supplies, Inc. | Earth City, Missouri

Scott Lien | GrandPad | Hopkins, Minnesota

Lili Hall | KNOCK, inc | Minneapolis, Minnesota

Christine Lantinen | Maud Borup Inc. | Plymouth, Minnesota

Aaron Shilts | NetSPI, LLC | Minneapolis, Minnesota

Thompson Aderinkomi | Nice Healthcare Management Company, Inc. | Minneapolis, Minnesota

Clifton Kaehler | Novel Energy Solutions, LLC | St. Paul, Minnesota

David Saber | Park State Bank | Minneapolis, Minnesota

Tyrre Burks | Player’s Health | Minneapolis, Minnesota

Brian Murray | Ryan Companies, Inc. | Minneapolis, Minnesota

Eric Hall and Rita Katona | So Good So You | Minneapolis, Minnesota

Barry Nordstrand | Solutran | Plymouth, Minnesota

Chad Hetherington | The Stable Group LLC | Minneapolis, Minnesota

Brian Weaver | Torch.AI | Leawood, Kansas

Chris Metz | Vista Outdoor | Anoka, Minnesota

Austin Mac Nab | VizyPay | Waukee, Iowa

Jason Von Bank | Wellbeats | Golden Valley, Minnesota

Bret Weiss | WSB | Golden Valley, Minnesota

The finalists were selected by a panel of independent judges and evaluated based on their demonstration of long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact, among other core contributions and attributes.

“The 2022 Entrepreneur Of The Year finalists have shown us that ambition, courage, ingenuity and empathy are key to driving change,” said Dominic Iannazzo, Heartland Program Co-director. “They have a mindset that drives them to strive for more and an unwavering commitment to their companies, customers and communities.”

Regional award winners will be announced on June 9, 2022 at The Fillmore Minneapolis. The winners will then be considered by the National judges for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, which will be presented in November at the annual Strategic Growth Forum®, one of the nation’s most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award in June 2023.

For over 35 years, EY US has celebrated the unstoppable entrepreneurs who are building a more equitable, sustainable and prosperous world for all. The Entrepreneur Of The Year program has recognized more than 10,000 US executives since its inception in 1986.

Entrepreneur Of The Year Award winners have exclusive, ongoing access to the experience, insight and wisdom of fellow alumni and other members of the entrepreneurial community in over 60 countries — all supported by vast EY resources.

For information on the Entrepreneur Of The Year Heartland program, please visit Entrepreneur Of The Year Heartland | EY - US.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are presented by PNC Bank. In Heartland, sponsors also include Colliers International, Padilla Co., Salo LLC, and Twin Cities Business.

About Entrepreneur Of The Year®

Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world’s most prestigious business awards program for unstoppable entrepreneurs. These visionary leaders deliver innovation, growth and prosperity that transform our world. The program engages entrepreneurs with insights and experiences that foster growth. It connects them with their peers to strengthen entrepreneurship around the world. Entrepreneur Of The Year is the first and only truly global awards program of its kind. It celebrates entrepreneurs through regional and national awards programs in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries. National overall winners go on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ title. ey.com/us/eoy

About EY Private

As Advisors to the ambitious™, EY Private professionals possess the experience and passion to support private businesses and their owners in unlocking the full potential of their ambitions. EY Private teams offer distinct insights born from the long EY history of working with business owners and entrepreneurs. These teams support the full spectrum of private enterprises including private capital managers and investors and the portfolio businesses they fund, business owners, family businesses, family offices and entrepreneurs. Visit ey.com/us/private

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Contacts

Julia Menefee
EY
+1213-240-7436
Julia.Peters@ey.com

Contacts

Julia Menefee
EY
+1213-240-7436
Julia.Peters@ey.com