EY honors 2017 top entrepreneurs

Utah Region winners of the 2017 EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards were announced at a black-tie event at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City on June 10. The program recognizes business leaders in more than 145 cities in 60 countries throughout the world who have disrupted industries, created new product categories, and successfully brought new innovation and technology to traditional industries, EY (formerly Ernst & Young) said in a release. More than 1,000 of business leaders and entrepreneurs attended the event.

Winners, as selected by an independent judging panel made up of previous award winners, leading CEOs, investors and other regional business leaders, are:

• Nate Quigley, CEO and cofounder and Vanessa Quigley, cofounder and Chatbooker-in-chief, Chatbooks Inc., Provo, Direct to Consumer Products category.

• Case Lawrence, CEO, CircusTrix, Provo, Consumer Services category.

• Andrew Smith, CEO and co-founder, Four Foods Group, American Fork; Real Estate, Hospitality and Construction category.

• Stephen Daly, CEO, Ivanti, South Jordan, Technology category.

• Karl Sun, CEO and cofounder, Lucid Software, South Jordan, Business Services category.

• Sam Malouf, CEO and founder, Malouf, Logan, Distribution and Manufacturing category.

• Tim Ballard, CEO and founder, Operation Underground Railroad, Draper, Social Entrepreneur category.

• Derek Maxfield, CEO, Younique, Lehi, Retail and Consumer Products category.

“EY has been recognizing leading entrepreneurs for over three decades,” said Shawn Goff, Entrepreneur Of The Year Utah Region program director and EY Salt Lake City office managing partner. “In the Utah Region, this group of entrepreneurs is building award-winning organizations and creating exciting innovations that continue to make the Silicon Slopes a great place to do business.”

EY is a global provider of assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services.

The winners join the ranks of 31 years of winners. As a group, the 2017 Utah Region award winners have made a significant mark on innovation and the economy, the EY statement said. They employ more than 5,500 people and are a major source of economic growth, adding nearly 3,000 jobs in the past two years — a 93 percent boost in headcount. They have an aggregate revenue of more than $1 billion and an impressive revenue growth rate of 91 percent during the past two years.

Also honored at the Utah Region event was 16-year-old Olivia George, owner of Mountain Blue Doodles. She received the 2017 EY Youth Scholarship for her business idea. Mountain Blue Doodles is a thriving dog-breeding business that focuses on doodle breeds — poodle mixes that shed less and are more easily tolerated by people with allergies. In recognition of her entrepreneurial venture, George was awarded a $2,000 college scholarship at the gala.

Regional award winners are eligible for consideration in the Entrepreneur of the Year national program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the Entrepreneur of the Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced at the Entrepreneur of the Year National Awards gala in Palm Springs, California, on Nov. 18. The Entrepreneur of the Year National Overall Award winner then moves on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year Award in Monaco in June 2018. Since its founding in 1986, the program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries throughout the world.

Founded and produced by EY, the Entrepreneur of the Year awards are nationally sponsored in the U.S. by SAP America, Merrill Corp. and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.