Ernst & Young LLP on Tuesday unveiled the recipients of its annual business award celebrating entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies in Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and the Dakotas.
Eight of the 11 winners of the 2021 Entrepreneur of the Year Heartland Award are based in the Twin Cities. Two others are from St. Louis, Mo., and another is from Sioux Falls, S.D.
This year's cohort was selected by an independent judging panel made up of previous award winners, leading CEOs, investors and other regional business leaders. The nominees were evaluated based on six criteria: entrepreneurial leadership; talent management; degree of difficulty; financial performance; societal impact and building a values-based company; and originality, innovation and future plans.
“EY is proud to celebrate these unstoppable entrepreneurs and welcome them into our global Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni community,” said Dominic Iannazzo and Pat Cleary, co-directors of the EY Heartland Entrepreneur of the Year program. “Despite the unprecedented challenges of the past year, these heroic leaders have inspired us all with their unrivaled courage, ambition and unwavering commitment to their companies, clients and communities.”
The winners of the 2021 the Entrepreneur of the Year Heartland Award are:
- Brian NeSmith, Arctic Wolf Networks, Inc., Eden Prairie
- Janet Johanson, BevSource and The Lab, Little Canada
- Tony Miller, Bind Benefits, Minneapolis
- Nathan McKean, BMC Enterprises Inc., St. Louis, Mo.
- Jamie Candee, Edmentum, Bloomington
- Todd Wilkinson, Entrust Corp., Shakopee
- Scott Leiendecker, KNOWiNK LLC, St. Louis
- Nicole Atchison, Puris, Minneapolis
- Tyler Lorenzen, Puris, Minneapolis
- Eddie Sullivan, SAB Biotherapeutics, Sioux Falls, S.D.
- Charlie Youakim, Sezzle, Minneapolis
Regional award winners, including those listed above, will be considered for the Entrepreneur of the Year National Awards, which will be announced in November at the Strategic Growth Forum. The winner of the Entrepreneur of the Year National Overall Award will then move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year Award next June
Since its launch in 1986, the Entrepreneur of the Year program has recognized more than 10,000 executives across the U.S.
