Six entrepreneurs from South Carolina made the final cut for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for the Carolinas region.
The eight were selected by an independent judging panel made up of previous winners, CEOs, private capital investors and other regional business leaders. They were honored at a recent event in Charlotte.
Awards are given to entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.
“Ernst & Young has honored outstanding entrepreneurs like this year’s winners for the past 25 years,” said David Hood, director of the Ernst & Young LLP Entrepreneur of the Year program for the Carolinas. “These business leaders have accomplished so much and contributed a tremendous amount to the community. They give us hope for what the next 25 years of entrepreneurs will bring.”
Jim Rogers, chairman, president and CEO of Duke Energy, was presented with a lifetime achievement award. That honor is given to a person whose entrepreneurial achievements, creativity, leadership and vision in establishing a new industry have enhanced global economic growth.
The Entrepreneur of the Year program honors entrepreneurs regionally in June, leading up to the national awards in November. Venture-backed companies that win an Entrepreneur of the Year award regionally also are eligible for the Entrepreneur of the Year Venture Capital Award of Excellence on a national level.
The overall national winner then moves on to compete for the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year award in June. The program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 140 cities and more than 50 countries.
The following eight entrepreneurs were chosen as the 2011 Ernst & Young LLP Entrepreneur of the Year 2011 award winners for the Carolinas. Six of the individuals are from S.C.-based companies, and two are from North Carolina.
■Abraham Reichental, president and CEO, 3D Systems Corp., Rock Hill
■Charles Hull, chief technology officer, executive vice president and founder, 3D Systems Corp., Rock Hill
■Tom Coble, president and CEO, Coble Trench Safety, Greensboro, N.C.
■Terry Brown, CEO, Edens & Avant, Columbia
■Steve Parker Jr., managing partner and co-founder, Levelwing, Mount Pleasant
■Jeff Adelson-Yan, co-founder, Levelwing, Mount Pleasant
■Richard Staub III, president and CEO, Novella Clinical Inc., Durham, N.C.
■Ric Elias, CEO and founder, Red Ventures, Fort Mill
