Heartland finalists for Ernst & Young LLP’s 2018 Entrepreneur of the Year Award include several Kansas City-area business leaders.
The program recognizes entrepreneurs who excel in areas such as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. The finalists were selected by a panel of independent judges. Award winners will be announced at a gala June 14 in Minneapolis.
Metro-area finalists include:
- Dustin Doll, Accord Group, Lee’s Summit
- Gary Fish, Fishtech Group LLC, Kansas City, Mo.
- Erica Brune, Lever1, Kansas City, Mo.
- Augustus “Gus” Griffin, Cloud “Bud” Cray Jr. and Karen Seaberg, MGP Ingredients Inc., Atchison
- David Dehaemers Jr., Tallgrass Energy Partners LP, Leawood
Another finalist with local ties is Brad Elliott, CEO of Equity Bank in Andover, Kan. Equity Bank has several metro branches and in 2017 announced a deal to merge with Blue Springs-based Adams Dairy Bank. David Chinnery, chairman and CEO of Adams Dairy Bank, was an EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2016 award finalist in the Central Midwest.
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Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur of the Year National Awards.
Award winners in several national categories, as well as the Entrepreneur of the Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced Nov. 10 at the Entrepreneur of the Year National Awards gala in Palm Springs, Calif. The awards are the culminating event of the Strategic Growth Forum, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.
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 2019.
Founded and produced by EY, the Entrepreneur of the Year Awards are nationally sponsored in the U.S. by SAP America, Kansas City’s Kauffman Foundation and Merrill Corp. Kansas City-based Lockton Cos. is a Heartland program sponsor.
