EY announced the winners of its annual Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in the Central Midwest at a black-tie gala on June 15 at The Midland in Kansas City.

Four of the winners are from Kansas City: Peter Mallouk, Creative Planning; Marty Bicknell, Mariner Holdings, LLC; John Goodbrake, Master’s Transportation, LLC; and David Johnson, Maxus Properties, Inc.

The remaining Central Midwest winners are Allan Connolly, Aclara; Dan Geraty, Clearent; Donald Welge, Gilster-Mary Lee Corp.; and Bruce Holland, Holland Construction Services.

The  entrepreneurs were selected by an independent judging panel of previous award winners, CEOs, investors and other regional business leaders.

“For more than three decades, EY has been recognizing talented, leading entrepreneurs,” said Scott McVicker, Entrepreneur Of The Year program co-director for the Central Midwest. “This year’s class of winners represents new ways of thinking, disruptive business models and overall dynamism that make this country a great place to do business.”

David Lockton, chairman of the board of Lockton Companies, was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his entrepreneurial leadership, achievements and vision.

The Entrepreneur Of The Year awards were launched in 1986. The program now recognizes business leaders in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries.

The regional winners will now compete in the national program. National winners will be announced at the Awards gala in Palm Springs, California, on Nov. 18. The Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall Award winner then moves on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in Monaco in June 2018.