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Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2011 Central Midwest Finalists Announced

"These finalists create jobs in our area, encouraging community development and innovation in our broader economy," said Randy Buseman, Entrepreneur Of The Year Central Midwest Program Director. "No matter who wins on June 7 we know one thing for sure - the Central Midwest is enriched by every one of these finalists."

The Central Midwest region includes companies based in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2011 Central Midwest finalists are:

• Todd Becker - Green Plains Renewable Energy, Inc., Omaha, Nebraska
• Sue Bhatia - Rose International, Inc., Chesterfield, Missouri
• H. Kevin Birzer, David Schulte, Kenneth Malvey, Terry Matlack and Zachary Hamel - Tortoise Capital Advisors, L.L.C., Leawood, Kansas
• David Brain - Entertainment Properties Trust, Kansas City, Missouri
• Timothy Burns - Preco, Inc. and Subsidiaries, Lenexa, Kansas
• Faruk Capan - Intouch Solutions, Overland Park, Kansas
• Thomas Cardella - Thomas L. Cardella & Associates, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
• Ivan Crossland, Jr. - Crossland Construction Company, Inc, Columbus, Kansas
• Tom Davis - USA-800, Inc., Raytown, Missouri
• Michael DiMarco - The Outsource Group, St. Louis, Missouri
• Tricia Zimmer Ferguson - Kaldi's Coffee Roasting Co., St. Louis, Missouri
• Ira Glazer - WireCo World Group, Kansas City, Missouri
• Jeffrey Gordman - Gordmans Stores, Inc., Omaha, Nebraska
• Greg Gragg - Gragg Advertising, Kansas City, Missouri
• Charles Hall - Buddeez, Incorporated, Wentzville, Missouri
• Chuck Hammond - Raining Rose, Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa
• Bryan Hansel - Smith Electric Vehicles US Corp., Kansas City, Missouri
• Greg Heckman - The Gavilon Group, LLC, Omaha, Nebraska
• Jennifer Labit - Cotton Babies, Inc., St. Louis, Missouri
• Mark Mantovani - NSI Marketing Services, St. Louis, Missouri
• Michael Pruett and Russell Odegard - Dynalabs LLC, St. Louis, Missouri
• Jeff Stroburg and Daniel Oh - Renewable Energy Group, Ames, Iowa
• Douglas Schukar - DAS Acquisition Company, LLC, Creve Coeur, Missouri
• Robert Thompson and Dr. Murray Lappe - eScreen, Overland Park, Kansas
• James Williams - Sunset Transportation, St. Louis, Missouri
• Gordon Whitten - Sojern, Inc., Omaha, Nebraska

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 Entrepreneur Of The Year Venture Capital Award of Excellence on a national level. The overall National US winner then moves on to compete for the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in June.

This year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Program celebrates its 25th anniversary. The program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 140 cities and more than 50 countries throughout the world. 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.

All regional honorees are invited to the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards gala, hosted by Jay Leno, on November 12, 2011, 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, which will be held November 9–13, 2011. 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 as a national sponsor.

In the Central Midwest, sponsors include Smart Business magazine and Enterprise Bank & Trust. Locally, the program is sponsored by Lockton Companies, Inc., Faegre & Benson LLP, Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP, Armstrong Teasdale LLP and Common Ground Public Relations.

Contact information

To make reservations for the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards gala on June 7, contact Ann Colletti of Ernst & Young at + 1 314 290 1172 or ann.colletti@ey.com. Tickets are $175 per person or $1,750 per table. For more information about the program, please visit www.ey.com/us/eoy.

About Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year

Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world's most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The unique award makes a difference through the 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, 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 140 cities in more than 50 countries.

About Ernst & Young

Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 141,000 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.

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 operating in the US. For more information about our organization, please visit www.ey.com.

This news release has been issued by Ernst & Young LLP, a US client-serving member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited.

Ernst & Young LLP
Ann Colletti, + 1 314 290 1172
ann.colletti@ey.com
or
Common Ground Public Relations
Denise Bentele, + 1 636 530 1235
dbentele@commongroundpr.com