Indiana Leaders Up For Entrepreneur Award

Press Release

Chicago, IL, April 30, 2010 – Ernst & Young LLP is pleased to announce today the finalists for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® award in the Midwest. This group of exceptional entrepreneurs was selected by an independent judging panel made up of regional business, academic and community leaders. Winners will be announced at a gala event on Thursday, June 24, 2010 at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers Chicago. In addition to recognizing the 28 finalists, James Tyree, Chairman of Mesirow Financial will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement award, noting his outstanding work in building the company into a unique, independent and employee-owned firm.

“For the past 24 years, Ernst & Young has honored outstanding entrepreneurs through our Entrepreneur Of The Year program,” said Randy Tavierne, Ernst & Young Partner and Midwest Strategic Growth Markets Leader. “These entrepreneurs make a tremendous difference within our communities and for our larger economy. We thank them for the positive impact they’ve had in the Midwest.”

The Midwest program recognizes companies based in Illinois and Indiana. The finalists for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award in 2010 are:

-Mary A. Tolan, Accretive Health, Inc. (Chicago, IL)

-Larry C. Barron, Acme Refining Scrap Iron & Metal Company (Chicago, IL)

-Steven LaVoie, ArrowStream (Chicago, IL)

-John Qualls, BlueLock, LLC (Indianapolis, IN)

-Guy H. Morgan, BlueStar Energy Services, Inc. (Chicago, IL)

-Scott E. Kluth, CouponCabin, Inc. (Chicago, IL)

-Dave Lindsey, Defender Direct, Inc. (Indianapolis, IN)

-Joseph J. Slawek, FONA International (Geneva, IL)

-Mark Hattas, Geneca (Oakbrook Terrace, IL)

-Sami El-Saden, Ignite USA, LLC (Chicago, IL)

-Thomas S. Ricketts, Incapital Holdings LLC (Chicago, IL)

-Julie Smolyansky, Lifeway Foods, Inc. (Morton Grove, IL)

-Stephen J. McShane, Midtronics, Inc. (Willowbrook, IL)

-Maureen Beal, National Van Lines (Broadview, IL)

-Charles T. Angell, Newly Weds Foods, Inc. (Chicago, IL)

-Rick Stern, Nitel (Chicago, IL)

-Brandon Cruz and Clint Jones Norvax, Inc. (Chicago, IL)

-Matthew Hulsizer, PEAK6 Investments, LP (Chicago, IL)

-Bob Wolfberg and Dan Wolfberg, PLS Financial Services, Inc. (Chicago, IL)

-Bryan Bedford, Republic Airways (Indianapolis, IN)

-Cary Chessick, Restaurant.com (Arlington Heights, IL)

-Jason F. Beans, Rising Medical Solutions, Inc. (Chicago, IL)

-Mark F. Santcrose, Tecta America Corp. (Skokie, IL)

-Robert Post, TRAVELCLICK INC. (Schaumburg, IL)

-Robert Jeffrey McCullen, Trustwave (Chicago, IL)

-Dale Pollak, vAuto (Oak Brook, IL)

Regional award winners will be eligible for consideration in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2010 national program. Winners in numerous national categories, as well as the overall national Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California, on November 14, 2010. The awards are the culminating event of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.

This year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year awards program celebrates its 24th anniversary. The program has expanded to recognize business leaders in over 135 cities in 50 countries throughout the world. Awards are given to entrepreneurs who demonstrate extraordinary success in the areas of innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year awards are pleased to have SAP America and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation as national sponsors.

Regional sponsors for the Midwest program include Manpower, Charter One Bank, Winston & Strawn LLP, Becker Professional Education and Smart Business magazine. Locally, the program is sponsored by the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center and Gibbs & Soell Public Relations.

Contact information

To make reservations for the Entrepreneur Of The Year awards gala on June 24, 2010, contact Debbie Holloran at +1 312 879 5744 or debbie.holloran@ey.com. Tickets are $200 per person. For more information about the program, please visit www.ey.com/us/eoy.

About Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur Of The Year® Awards Program

Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur Of The Year® Award is the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The award makes a difference through the unique 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, Ernst & Young 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 135 cities in 50 countries.

About Ernst & Young

Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 135,000 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.

For more information, please visit www.ey.com

Source: Ernst & Young