2015 - Entrepreneur of The Year

Exceptional
EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Special Edition
Network stars
AndyBechtolsheim and
JayshreeUllal of Arista Networks
have perfected a formula that has
powered their companys rapid
ascent in thenetworking industry.
Entrepreneurship + Innovation = Growth

November 2015
Founded and produced by
Nationally sponsored by
Accelerating
our world
Herb Engert
EY Americas
Strategic Growth
Markets Leader
Exceptional
Americas Director,
EY Entrepreneur Of The Year
Mike Kacsmar
Americas Program Manager Wendy Fox
Editorial Director Marina Paulus
Cover photography Courtesy of Arista Networks
Managing Editor Amy Koeppl

Contributing Writers Edward J. Defort,
GregKerr, Scott Ladd, WilliamKozel,
DougMilbrodt, RogerMorton,
RichardOsborne, LindseySiegle
Copy Editors Amy Koeppl, Kevin Daniels
Creative Director Christine Couture
Lead Designer William Mengle
Picture Editor Simon Weinstein
Exceptional Special Edition is printed in
the US by Shapco Printing.
For EY
Americas Director, Marketing and
Communications, Strategic Growth Markets
Lisa Schiffman
For this special edition or regularly published
issues of Exceptional, contact Lisa Schiffman at
lisa.schiffman@ey.com or +1 215 448 5596.
Its every entrepreneurs dream to launch an idea that makes a difference and accelerates
the way their industry, their peers and their communities approach, react to and look at the
world around them.
Thats exactly what the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Award winners are doing. Theyre
challenging and changing the status quo, rethinking the way we approach the markets
and altering the way we go about our business.
In this special issue of Exceptional, we honor our winners ability
to create new products and services, transform organizations,
enrich lives, contribute to the vibrancy of our national economy,
and accelerate our businesses, our communities and the world.
Just a glance at the companies led by the 266 award winners
reveals the vital role played by these leading innovators:
Collectively, these companies have added 81,000 jobs
in the last two years a 29% boost in headcount.
Our honorees have achieved US$169 billion in revenues.
The 59 venture-backed companies considered for the 2015
Venture Capital Award of Excellence have collectively raised
Mike Kacsmar
Americas Director,
more than $6.6 billion in private capital.
EY Entrepreneur
The panels of independent judges who selected this years
Of The Year
finalists and winners used a balanced scorecard that considers
revenue, profit and employment growth. The panels also reviewed the entrepreneurs overall
careers, their approach to innovation and the future, their commitment to building a strong
team and sustainable business, and their enthusiasm for giving back.
We are also celebrating 12 amazing EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women who
have succeeded by thinking big, overcoming or ignoring barriers, and challenging the
assumptions that, for too long, deterred their success.
Were excited to introduce our 2015 National Overall Award winners, Andy Bechtolsheim
and Jayshree Ullal of Arista Networks, who built their business with a very specific goal in
mind: to create
an IT company
that would
provide disruptive,
innovative
solutions for the
worlds largest
networking challenges. To say theyve succeeded would be an understatement. Founded in
2004, Arista achieved profitable growth in annual sales in two short years and, in 2014,
experienced a 9.3% year-over-year increase in port share in the high-speed Ethernet switch
market. Thats entrepreneurship at its best!
The November 2015 awards gala was an especially poignant one for us not only did
we honor the exceptional accomplishments of entrepreneurs across the US, but it was
the kickoff to 30 years of ingenuity in America, the yearlong, 30th annual celebration
of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Program. Thirty years! Just think of all of the changes
and progress weve seen in the past three decades. Were incredibly proud to share this
momentous occasion with you over the next 12 months.
Together with our national sponsors, SAP America and the Kauffman Foundation, EY
salutes the Entrepreneur Of The Year Class of 2015 inspirational entrepreneurs who are
helping to build a better working world.
Honoring those whove propelled

their industries and our economy
into overdrive
Exceptional Special Edition November 2015
Contents
National categories
Technology
Andy Bechtolsheim,
Jayshree Ullal,
Arista Networks
22
Keith R. Dunleavy, MD,

Inovalon
Keith Krach, DocuSign, Inc.
Marcus Ryu,
Guidewire Software, Inc.
14
Distribution and
Manufacturing
Berto Guerra,
Avanzar Interior
Technologies, LTD
Jason Luo,
Key Safety Systems
Scott C. Mueller,
Dean Mueller,
Dealer Tire
Jeremy Rincon,
Robby Whites,
Andrew Philipp,
Clarus Glassboards, LLC
18
Eric Dee Long,

USA Compression
M. Kevin McEvoy,
Oceaneering International, Inc.
John B. Walker, EnerVest, Ltd.
Donald Young,
Hoover Group, Inc.
26
Family Business
Andrew D. Peykoff II,
Niagara Bottling, LLC
30
Financial Services
Alfred P. West, Jr., SEI
Noah Breslow, OnDeck
Kenneth Lin, Credit Karma
Jonathan Steinberg,
WisdomTree Investments, Inc.
David Royce, Alterra

Jeff Church, Suja Juice
Adam Hepworth, Jamberry
Matt Salzberg, Ilia Papas,
Matthew Wadiak,
Blue Apron
34
Life Sciences
Jean-Jacques Bienaim,
BioMarin Pharmaceutical
Charles Dunlop, James Dunlop,
Ambry Genetics
Mike Mussallem,
Edwards Lifesciences
Tim Walbert, Horizon Pharma
38
Robert M. Beall, Bealls, Inc.

Lou Gentine, Louie Gentine,
Sargento Foods Inc.
Edward Weisiger, Jr., CTE
Emerging
Award winner
Energy, Cleantech
and Natural Resources
Media, Entertainment
and Communications
Maggie Wilderotter,
Frontier Communications
Frank Addante, Rubicon Project
Chris DeWolfe, SGN
Sean Eugene Reilly,
Lamar Advertising Company
42
Real Estate, Hospitality

and Construction
Adam Neumann, WeWork
James Michael Appling, Jr.,
TNT Crane & Rigging, Inc.
John Kilroy,
Kilroy Realty Corporation
Zeke Turner, Mainstreet
We had to go from a start-up phase to

customer phase while still maintaining
and preserving ... our keyattributes.
Jayshree Ullal, Arista Networks
18
38 42
Recognition
46
Retail and
Consumer Products
Reade Fahs, Bruce Steffey,
National Vision, Inc.
Marla Malcolm Beck,
Bluemercury, Inc.
John Foraker, Annies, Inc.
Jamie Lima, Paulo Lima,
ITCosmetics
50
54
7
58
Services
Y. Michele Kang, Cognosante
Lawrence Janesky,
Basement Systems Inc.
Dr. Setul G. Patel,
Neighbors Health System, Inc.
Abhi Shah, Clutch Group
National
judging panel
Meet the independent judges
who selected this years
entrepreneurs who are
accelerating their business
EY World
Entrepreneur
Of The Year 2015
Mohed Altrad,

Altrad Group, France
61
EY Entrepreneurial
Winning Women
Extras
Celebrating
30 years
of ingenuity
in America
A brief history of the
EY Entrepreneur Of
The Year US Program
Call for 2016

nominations
Know a high-growth
entrepreneur?
Nominate him or her!
Presenting the
Class of 2015
Venture Capital
Award of Excellence
Dr. Richard Heyman,
Aragon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,
Seragon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Adam Neumann, WeWork
Marcus Ryu, Guidewire Software, Inc.
EY | Assurance | Tax | Transactions | Advisory

About EY
EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over.
We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for
our communities.
EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst&Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst&Young Global Limited, a UK company
limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.
Ernst&Young LLP is a client-serving member firm of Ernst&Young Global Limited operating in the US.
2015 Ernst&Young LLP. All Rights Reserved. | SCORE no. BE0285. ED 0916.
EY is committed to reducing its impact on the environment. This document was printed using recycled paper and vegetable-based ink.
Celebrating 30 years
of ingenuity in America
hether you woke up today with plans to work, bank,

grocery shop, entertain, skydive, or any one of thousands
of other ordinary and extraordinary activities, you likely
have to thank an entrepreneur who had already imagined
how to revolutionize
your experience.
Since 1986,
EYhas celebrated
the accomplishments
of thousands of
entrepreneurs across
the US as they
undertook their missions
Wendy Fox
Mike Kacsmar
to build a better world.
Americas Program Manager,
Americas Director,
We recognize and honor
EY Entrepreneur
EY Entrepreneur
these outstanding
Of The Year
Of The Year
individuals through
the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Program.
With this special Entrepreneur Of The Year edition of
Exceptional, we acknowledge the success stories of 2015,
then turn the corner to kick off a year-long celebration,
aptly named 30 years of ingenuity in America. Our goal is to
recognize those who have had a lasting impact on how we
live, work and play.
Some of the Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni we will

highlight throughout 2016 will be instantly recognizable
to you, either because of the power of their names or the
magnitude of their innovations. Others may be slightly less
familiar but will have nonetheless made an indelible impact:
those winners, for instance, whove defined revolutionary
approaches to curing cancer or developed the technology
behind our interconnected world or reinvented how we
connect with our peers or reimagined how we move from
place to place.
Regardless of their purpose, one thing connects these
awardwinning business leaders: they are the premier examples
of what happens when entrepreneurs connect their ingenuity
to a market opportunity they leave a noteworthylegacy.
Join us as we celebrate 30 years of ingenuity in America,
represented by the award-winning visionaries who have
changed our lives forever and for the better.
The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni form the

most influential, innovative and exclusive network of
entrepreneurs in the world. Connect with your fellow
winners at ey.com/us/eoy/alumni.
Past and present EY Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winners
2015 Andy Bechtolsheim
and Jayshree Ullal
Arista Networks
2014 David Hung, MD
Medivation
2013 Hamid Moghadam
Prologis
2012 Hamdi Ulukaya
Chobani, Inc.
2011 Reid Hoffman

and Jeff Weiner
LinkedIn Corporation
2008 Matthew Szulik

Red Hat, Inc.
2007 Isaac Larian

2010 Howard W. Lutnick
MGA Entertainment
Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.
2006 R
ichard E. Caruso, PhD
and BGCPartners, Inc.
Integra LifeSciences
Corporation
2009 Tom Adams
Rosetta Stone Inc.
2005 Arthur M. Blank

Atlanta Falcons,
The Home Depot,
GeorgiaForce
2004 H. Wayne Huizenga
Huizenga Holdings, Inc.
2003 John Mackey
Whole Foods
Market,Inc.
2015
2004
2015
2011
1989
2014
2005
2011
2013
2010
2009
2012
2002 Jeno F. Paulucci

Luiginos, Inc.
1998 Edward Iacobucci

Citrix Systems, Inc.
2001 Dr. Phillip Frost

IVAX Corporation
1997 Jack Taylor

and Andy Taylor
Enterprise
RentACar
2000 Scott Kriens

Juniper Networks
1999 Richard M. Schulze
Best Buy Co., Inc.
1995 Allen Breed

Breed
Technologies, Inc.
1994 Robert Basham,

TimGannon
and ChrisSullivan
Outback Steakhouse
1993 Robert E.M. Nourse
The Bombay
Company
1992 Jerry Ehrlich
Wabash National
1991 Cecil Ursprung

Reflexite Corporation
1990 Robert Levine
and Craig Benson
Cabletron
Systems,Inc.
1989 Michael Dell
Dell Inc.
Celebrating 30
years of ingenuity
in America.
Your legacy has nothing to do with how old you
are or the age of your company, and everything
to do with your impact on business and the world
around you.
If youre running a successful company, we
want to know you better. Since 1986, EY has
honored the entrepreneurs whose spirit of
innovation and discipline have benefited us all.
If youve been inspired by a successful
entrepreneur in your community or are
one yourself submit a nomination for our
Entrepreneur Of The Year 2016 Program.
2015 Ernst & Young LLP. All Rights Reserved. ED 1116
To request nomination materials, call

+1 800 755 2927, or visit us online at
ey.com/us/eoy. The entry deadline is
March 11, 2016.
Meet the
judges
Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015
national judges
Fedele Bauccio, Bon Apptit Management Company
Chris J. Beckett, Pacific Drilling
Ray Bingham, General Atlantic
Lori A. Blaker, TTi Global
Tom Briggs, Retired Private Investor
Jean Case, Case Foundation
Scott A. Dahnke, Catterton
Will Darman, The Carlyle Group
J. Scott Di Valerio, Technology Executive
James W. Dixon, CompuCom Systems, Inc.
Greg Dunlevy, Kosmos Energy Limited
Karin Eastham, Illumina, Inc.; MorphosysAG;
GeronCorporation; Veracyte, Inc.; Althea DX
Jay Freeland, FARO Technologies, Inc.
Greg Graves, Burns & McDonnell
Doug Grissom, Madison Dearborn Partners,LLC
James P. Hallett, KAR Auction Services, Inc.
Ronald J. Kruszewski, Stifel FinancialCorp.
Bill M. Lambert, MSA Safety, Inc.
Marc R. Lederman, NewSpring Capital
James R. Levy, Warburg Pincus
Eric E. Lofquist, Magnus InternationalGroup
Michael Mansfield, Mansfield Oil Company
Jack C. Mascaro, Mascaro Construction Company, L.P.
Robert H. McCooey Jr., Nasdaq
Richard M. McVey, MarketAxess Holdings,Inc.
Jayne Millard, Turtle & Hughes, Inc.
Yiannis Monovoukas, PhD,
TEI Biosciences Inc. and TEI Medical Inc.
Jim Nixon, Sandvik Venture
Carolyn Parent, Gravy
Kimberly Park, Merck & Co., Inc.
Steve Pate, Strike
Linda Rabbitt, rand* construction corporation
Andra M. Rush, The Rush Group LLC
Garvis Toler III, The New York StockExchange
Charlie Vogt, Imagine Communications
Mark Volchek, Higher One Holdings, Inc.
Naomi Whittel, Reserveage Nutrition
Joset Wright-Lacy, National Minority Supplier
Development Council
Barbara A. Yastine, Ally Bank
Category: Technology
Overall award winners
Up, up
and
Award winner_Andy Bechtolsheim

Founder, Chief Development Officer
and Chairman
Award winner_ Jayshree Ullal
President and CEO
Arista Networks
Santa Clara, CA
Founded: 2004
away
Andy Bechtolsheim
and Jayshree Ullal guide
Arista Networks into
industry leadership with
the help of the cloud.
Five years ago, 90% of networking gear was sold through

enterprises and 10% went through cloud data centers.
By 2016, half of networking will go through the cloud.
hen Andy Bechtolsheim founded Arista Networks in 2004, he had already played a key role in starting a number of IT industry
stalwarts, including Sun Microsystems.
With Arista, however, Bechtolsheim had a very specific goal in mind: to build an IT company led by engineers that would
provide disruptive, innovative solutions for the worlds largest networking challenges. Over the next four years, he focused on
building the foundation for Aristas networking software architecture. In 2008 he tapped industry leader Jayshree Ullal, a former
Cisco executive, to serve as CEO.
Together, Bechtolsheim (working as Chief Development Officer) and Ullal have perfected the formula that has powered Aristas
rapid ascent in the networking industry. The company currently
counts more than 3,000 customers, primarily data centers and
high-performance computing centers, on its clientroster.
Drawing on his prior IT industry experience, Bechtolsheim
was determined not to seek outside financing when starting
thecompany.
The particular software approach we were taking was going to
take time, and venture capitalists dont have a lot of patience for
product development, Bechtolsheim says. This approach allowed
him to go slow and build the right underpinning for the product.
10
This self-imposed incubation period enabled Bechtolsheim

and his team to perfect Aristas software architecture so
the company would be ready to take off once they officially
launched their product. Arista achieved profitable growth
within two years of its product release, a significant milestone
for an early-stage technology company.
Bechtolsheim also knew this was the right time to hire
someone to lead the company. This was a key inflection
point, he says. We had to turn from being an engineering
and product development company and become a real
operation. That is not my cup of tea. We needed someone
who understood this market.
Bechtolsheim knew that Ullal would fill the bill. They
had previously worked together at another company he
had founded, Granite Systems, which was later bought by Cisco.

Weknew each other extremely well, so we had a definite trust
factor and strong working relationship. There was never any
question in my mind that she was the best choice, hesays.
Both Bechtolsheim and Ullal realized that preserving and
strengthening Aristas culture would be critical to sustaining its
growth. Ullal, who had seen many companies hit a wall as they
lost the cultural traits and attributes that fueled their growth, was
especially concerned that Arista retain its entrepreneurialspirit.
We had to go from a start-up phase to customer phase while still
maintaining and preserving what we all strongly believed were our
key attributes, Ullal says. We are a high-tech company, built by
engineers for engineers, with an open culture of communication.
Wereally wanted to make one plus one much greater than two.
We really wanted to make one plus one much greater than two.
Bechtolsheim and Ullal have made sure
that Arista avoids the complexity trap which
plagues many large companies. Having a flat
organization that is totally customerfocused
is happiness, Bechtolsheim says. We dont
even have a separate product marketing
group. Our strategy is totally built around
customerpriorities.
Because Aristas customer base includes
many companies that are technologically
11
The cloud will expand to storage, virtualization and security.

Every time that expansion happens, theres more opportunity for us.
savvy in their own right and eager to use cloud computing

for their operations, helping customers adapt to the cloud has
become one of Aristaspriorities.
We predicted the cloud back in 2008, Ullal says, but the
market wasnt quite ready at that time. In the interim, Arista
data centers. By 2016, half of all networking will go through

thecloud.
Moving to a cloud-based architecture also enables Arista
to offer scalable, open-standards-based solutions, which
will help global enterprises keep pace with the rapid growth
expected in internet traffic over the next fiveyears.
Number of years it took Arista
To ensure that the company continues to develop
leading-edge networking solutions, Arista devotes
to achieve profitable growth
25% of all corporate revenue to research and
Percentage of engineering employees development efforts. R&D is our single largest
who are software engineers
investment, Bechtolsheim says. If you look at our
total [operating expenditures], well over half is R&D.
Percentage of revenue allocated to
Two-thirds of our head count is engineering, and
research and development
90%of that is in softwareengineering.
As Arista turns to the cloud to establish itself as
established itself as a leading provider of networking solutions
one of the strongest networking companies in the world, both
for financial traders, who relied on robust, high-frequency
Bechtolsheim and Ullal intend to ensure that Arista retains
trading. As that industry shifted away from centralized data
itsfocus.
centers, Arista moved to embrace cloudcomputing.
We have to be careful to stay on our mission, Ullal
The rapid rise of the cloud has accelerated our growth,
says. The cloud will expand to storage, virtualization and
Bechtolsheim says. Five years ago, 90% of networking gear
security. Every time that expansion happens, theres more
was sold through enterprises and 10% went through cloud
opportunityfor us.
2
90
25
12
finalists
Category: Technology
Keith R. Dunleavy, MD Keith Krach
Marcus Ryu
Inovalon
Chief Executive Officer &
Chairman of the Board
DocuSign, Inc.
Chairman & CEO
San Francisco, CA | Founded: 2003
Foster City, CA | Founded: 2001
Bowie, MD | Founded: 1998
When Keith Krach joined DocuSign, the

company was focused on developing its
eSignature platform solely for the real estate
industry. Krach soon broadened DocuSigns
vision from real estate to transforming
the way all businesses securely exchange
confidential electronic documents.
He set out to achieve his goal by
creating a new culture centered on building
highperforming teams, guided by a clear
mission and vision for the companys future.
Today DocuSign boasts more than 100,000
enterprise customers worldwide and some
50million individual users.
Building on DocuSigns progress in the real
estate industry, Krach rolled out a secure
electronic documentation service and then
forged a partnership with Salesforce. Using
DocuSign to transact test deals, Salesforce
helped DocuSign gain exposure to countless
other companies about the benefits of using
its electronic documentationplatform.
Krach continues to emphasize teamwork
and culture. He spends close to 30% of his
time finding the right talent to ensure that
DocuSign maintains its leadership position in
the electronic documentation space.
When Marcus Ryu cofounded Guidewire

in 2001, he and his partners, all software
industry veterans, knew that most software
companies lacked deep industry insight.
Asa result, even the most robust software
solutions fail to make a lasting difference, at
least not without major customization efforts.
Recognizing this as a lost opportunity, Ryu
resolved to start a company that would focus
on transforming one industry: property and
casualty insurance. Through an ecosystem
of integration partners, software vendors
and insurance carriers, Guidewire has
orchestrated more than 200 implementations,
with zero failures and 100% customer
satisfaction. As a result, Ryu and his team
have helped to significantly lower processing
costs for the industry, firmly establishing
Guidewire as a leading provider of property
and casualty software solutions.
As CEO, Ryu gives his team the latitude
to run the business, reserving the difficult
personnel decisions for himself. His people
strategy is working: Guidewire, with
customers in 22 countries, reports an attrition
rate of less than 8%, some two to three times
lower than the software industry norm.
The health care industry is awash with data

from clinical trials and millions of patient
records yet has lagged behind other industries
in turning that data into actionable insights.
Inovalon, under the leadership of Keith
Dunleavy, has tackled this gap with a
vengeance, developing cloud-based analytics
and data-driven platforms to help health care
providers improve patient outcomes, save
costs and realize higher revenue.
Dunleavy, who recently guided Inovalon
though an IPO, has helped the company
establish itself as a clear industry leader. In
gathering data from its clients, Inovalon has
developed what he refers to as Americas
health care database, which contains
more than 9.2 billion medical events from
120million patients, 754,000 physicians and
248,000 clinical facilities.
As a strong believer in responsible
entrepreneurship, Dunleavy has not taken
a raise, bonus or option for the past five
years, preferring to reward the employees
who are making Inovalon a leader in
delivering datadriven insights to the health
careindustry.

Chief Executive, President & Co-Founder
13
If I was going to do business with one of the best

companies in the world Toyota I needed to think
like Toyota. I needed to produce the way they do.
14
Distribution and
Manufacturing
Driven
to excel
Award winner_Berto Guerra
CEO and Chairman
Avanzar Interior Technologies, LTD
San Antonio, TX
Founded: 2005
en years ago, Berto Guerra faced a tough career choice. Having been passed over
for promotion at Southwestern Bell, he gathered his family around the kitchen table
and pondered his future. Should he stay at Southwestern Bell, or should he go?
Guerra, a man of strong religious faith, looked for a sign. The next day, he
learned that Toyota was planning a major manufacturing plant in his home city of
San Antonio, TX, and was in the market for a local entrepreneur to help create an
automotive parts business to supply the facility.
No stranger to running new businesses in very different industries, but new
to the automotive world, Guerra developed Avanzar Interior Technologies to
produce door panels and car seats for Toyota Tundra and Tacoma trucks. Today,
the SanAntonio-based enterprise has evolved into a business with 900 employees
andaverage year-over-year growth of 24% for the past five years.
At Avanzar, Guerra strives to create an environment that promotes and honors
company loyalty, where employees never stop learning and applying new lessons
for the betterment of the business. Guerra says he, personally, has learned more
from Toyota than making quality truck parts. Hes assimilated key tenets of the
Japanese carmakers philosophy.
If I was going to do business with one of the best companies in the world,
Ineeded to think like Toyota, he says. I needed to produce the way they do.
Noting that Toyota takes the long view on building and sustaining a business
whether 15, 20, 100 years out Guerra says his team follows the Japanese
principles of kaizen, the practice of continuous improvement, and kanban, an
innovative inventory control system.
15
I interview every single person were thinking

of hiring. ... I want to see if they fit into our
family, our code of business, who we are.
That taught me an important lesson,

he says. Always ask thequestion.
Knowing to ask the right questions has
carried Guerra far. At the age of 18, he
secured an $80,000 loan and bought a
local ice cream shop. He then purchased
movie theater and Pizza Hut franchises
(Ididnt even like pizza at the time)
before moving up the management
ranks at SouthwesternBell.
As for his own management style and
what he seeks from his leadership team,
Guerra stresses the basics.
My dad always told me, Dont be
afraid to surround yourself with people
that are smarter than you in certain
areas. Be fearless; dont be intimidated.
You are going to be the leader of the
orchestra, he says.
I look for people with a vision,
who are unafraid to think outside the
box, he adds. I want people who are
tenacious, not afraid to roll up their
sleeves, work on a project and take
pridein it.
Loyalty and a sense of common
purpose also count. I interview every
single person were thinking of hiring.
All900 of our people here, Ive personally
interviewed them, Guerra notes. I want
Seconds it takes Avanzar to install a new seat
to see if they fit into our family, our code
in a Toyota truck
of business, whoweare.
At Avanzar, loyalty is a twoway
Robots used in the Avanzar plant
street. The economic crisis of
2008 forced Toyota to mothball its
Weeks during the financial crisis Guerra kept his
SanAntonio plant for 14 weeks as sales
business open while the Toyota plant was closed
and orders dried up. Refusing to close
his own plant, Guerra instead negotiated
Avanzar, which means to advance or move forward,
a deal with Toyota and Johnson Controls Avanzars production
relies on plant cleanliness, competitive pricing, high-quality
facility partner that allowed him to keep his employees working
products and customer service to differentiate itself in the
full-time. They had no automotive work to do, he recalls, but
industry. But loyalty, commitment and pure hard work have
his employees kept busy by helping renovate the facility and
been staples of Guerras entrepreneurial thinking long before
performing public service in San Antonio, among otherthings.
he linked fortunes with Toyota.
I did not want my people to go hungry, to send them home
As a 6-year-old, he began shining shoes at his dads
without a paycheck, to discontinue their insurance, says
SanAntonio barbershop. His father, a tough former US Army
the father of 4 and grandfather of 10. They had families to
infantryman, told him to ask everyone who entered the shop
takecareof.
whether they wanted a shine even an unlikely customer
Guerras entrepreneurial reach has expanded over the
who walked in one day wearing tennis shoes. The customer
years. He owns two auto dealerships and is moving
thanked the boy for asking and pulled an old, crusty pair
toward openingthree more. In addition, Avanzar is making
of boots from the back of his pickup. The young Guerra
a global push outside its San Antonio base: the company
earned 50 cents for the cleaning job, rather than his normal
is in discussions to occupy a plant in Mexico designed to
15cents.
supply ToyotaCorollas.
58
188
14
16
finalists
Category: Distribution and Manufacturing
Scott C.
Mueller
Dean
Mueller
Jason Luo
Scott C. Mueller
Sterling Heights, MI | Founded: 2000
Dean Mueller President
Key Safety Systems

President & CEO
Self-discipline, hard work and turning

innovative ideas into successful products and
systems have been Jason Luos calling cards.
Luo is President & CEO of Key Safety Solutions
(KSS), a leader in the automotive supply field.
Luos mission has been to globally expand
and diversify its customer base, markets
and regions. He has done so by focusing
on maintaining seamless global operations,
cost efficiency, innovative technology and
customer satisfaction.
This strategy has served the company well
through economic downturns and volatile
shifts in the industry. But it requires sufficient
care and feeding. Each quarter, senior
management regroups to assess industry
trends and market opportunities, review
whats working and determine what needs to
change. Additionally, Luo has his leadership
team periodically rotate positions to more
fully understand all aspects of the business.
Because KSS develops safety-critical
components such as airbags, steering wheels
and electronics installed in about 300 car
models produced by more than 60 global
customers Luo knows that the company
only gets one shot we have to get it right.
Philipp
Whites
Rincon
Jeremy Rincon Co-Founder

Robby Whites Co-Founder
Andrew Philipp President
Chief Executive Officer
Dealer Tire
Clarus Glassboards, LLC
Cleveland, OH | Founded: 2000

For executives of Dealer Tire, the companys
legacy is more than in the tread. Its in
theblood.
Interest in the business, founded by the
Muellers great-grandfather, has been passed
through the generations. In an established
industry, resistance to change can be an
obstacle to growth. But pioneers can always
bring something new.
Dealer Tire provides a value-added
program based on logistics and IT data to
help auto manufacturers and their franchises
sell replacement tires and parts.
Its business-to-consumer website has
driven customer and revenue growth. And
Dealer Tire encourages its employees to
remain current on industry changes and
technology through courses it offers, giving
them the tools for success.
The companys philosophy of creating
partnerships with dealers, rather than viewing
them strictly as customers, has been a market
differentiator. It has 8% market share, sales
have more than doubled over the past decade,
and the business has expanded into Canada.
Fort Worth, TX | Founded: 2009

As college friends, Jeremy Rincon and
Robby Whites dreamed of starting a business
together. After the investment firm where
they were working closed abruptly in 2009,
they cashed out retirement accounts, sold
everything they owned, moved back in with
family and started with a clean slate literally.
A business trip to South America that
introduced them to rudimentary clear
writing boards sealed the deal, and Clarus
Glassboards was born. The duo later recruited
Andrew Philipp to serve as President.
The company produces glass writing
boards that are gaining in popularity over
traditional whiteboards. The Clarus model
is thinner than but as strong and durable
as conventional whiteboards, and it blends
more easily and aesthetically into corporate
surroundings.
Today, Clarus has more than 100
employees, has achieved significant revenue
growth since 2012 and is recognized by
industry-leading associations and publications
for its innovative product design.
17
Safety
first
Award winner_David Royce
Founder & CEO
Alterra
Provo, UT
Founded: 2012
hile a student at Brigham Young University, David Royce accepted a

summer job in California selling pest control products door to door. Hisfirst
week was a bust, with zero sales.
By the time he returned to college, it was a different story. Through
perseverance and absorbing everything he could about the business, Royce
had racked up more sales than any of the other summer staffers.
The lessons of those early days, refined over the years, have served him
well in more than three years as CEO of Alterra, one of the fastest-growing
companies in the US pest control industry.
Royce founded the company with three particular principles in mind:
provide the best, most ecologically sensitive products; establish high-quality
training programs that translate to superior client service; and create a work
environment thats fun for everyone and structured to retain talented staff.
I wanted to make my business a place where people really wanted to
work, he says. Not just a business to make money or build a rsum, but a
place thats fun and people really enjoy where they work.
Royce concedes that pest control wasnt at the top of the career list before
graduation from BYU. I thought I was going to do venture capital, he
recalls, but an old boss came to me and said, You should do this; you are
really good at this. Dont go and work 100 hours a week for someone else.
Advice taken. Royce started his first pest control business right out of
school, using money saved from working his way through college. I had
lived frugally; I took everything I made and put it into the company, he says.
Part of his philosophy has been to not rely on banks or outside investors to
subsidize his businesses; he prefers to retain financial and creative control.
Royce continued to refine his business model with the launch of EcoFirst
in 2009. EcoFirst was his first national venture, expanding into 10 states
west of the Mississippi River and serving nearly 100,000 customers before
it wassold.
And in founding Alterra, from the Latin for all and earth, Royce was
guided by lessons he picked up as a young salesperson. The concerns of
homeowners about the toxicity of pest control products and the potential
safety threats to their children and their pets left a lasting impression.
18
Emerging
I wanted to make my business
a place where people really
wanted to work. Not just a
business to make money or
build a rsum, but a place
thats fun and people really
enjoy where they work.
19
I heard it over and over again, about

ecology and safety, he says.
Today, the company uses the most
progressive products with the lowest levels of
toxicity available. Alterra is a member of the
EPAs Pesticide Environmental Stewardship
Program, which accepts organizations adhering
to a higher standard of ecological practices.
As for the emphasis on fun: if creating a
thoroughly modern headquarters in Provo,UT
complete with a full-length basketball court,
golf simulator, movie room, and foosball and
pool tables is Royces idea of an enjoyable
work environment, hes not alone. Its more
SiliconValley than conventional office.
When people come into our office,
they think its a technology company or an
advertising company, not a pest control
company, Royce says. It looks young,
millennial, fun.
While the Alterra business model is centered
on delivering safe products and executing
a smart strategy, its cultural roots are the
10core values developed by the companys
more than 1,000 employees. They include
Elevate the Tribe, a call for positive team
To be honest, at first I wasnt very excited about being in the pest control business.
Its a very old business, blue collar, not a whole lot of innovation. But we took
an environmentally responsible approach to it and injected a new kind of company culture.
and family spirit, the Platinum Rule that
counsels employees to treat customers the way
they would want to be treated, and All Ears
on Deck to make sure employees are always
listening and learning.
Its an essential part of the companys DNA,
Royce says.
One sign that the emphasis on culture is
succeeding is Alterras 96% year-over-year
employee retention rate.
You really want to create a family, a home,
for your employees, he said. I think weve
donethat.
Since its 2012 launch, Alterra has reported
a300% growth in revenue and projects a total of
300,000 customers by the end of the year. The
company has been ranked as the fastestgrowing
pest control company in the country by PCT
Magazine, an industry publication.
The 38-year-old married father of two is
committed to expanding the business. In 2016,
20
number of articulated core

10 The
principles that employees live by
field of industry competitors
20,000 The
when David Royce started Alterra
Alterra currently ranks in
19 Where
the US pest control industry
employee retention
96 Year-over-year
rate percentage
Alterra expects to pass an annual revenue milestone. Cracking the
$100million mark will be pretty exciting, he says.
The business currently consists of residential and commercial pest
services, but there are plans to expand into termite control, lawn care
and other services over the next decade. Royces goal is to become the
largest privately held pest control business in NorthAmerica by2020.
Were growing like gangbusters, he said. Its exciting, with more
people wanting to take advantage of opportunities.
finalists
Category: Emerging
Salzberg
Papas
Jeff Church
Adam Hepworth
Matt Salzberg
San Diego, CA | Founded: 2012
Lindon, UT | Founded: 2010
Ilia Papas
Jeff Church, CEO of Suja Juice, would be the

first to admit the idea of drinking green juice
with blended kale, apple and lemon was
lessthan appealing.
More than three years into his tenure,
hes come around. A private equity pro
with a history of turning around struggling
companies, Church has helped drive Sujas
growth through distribution deals and an
industry-leading production breakthrough.
A distribution deal with Whole Foods
Market gave Suja high visibility and a
prominent platform for future growth.
Itsproduction innovation high-pressure
processing extends shelf life and
maintains essential nutrients, vitamins
andenzymeslonger.
Despite substantial national growth,
thecompany still operates almost
exclusively from its Southern California
base. Its emphasis is on the expanding
market of customers whove embraced
health consciousness in their food and drink
products. Sujas workforce certainly reflects
that level of youthful vitality. Of its 200 or
so employees, only 5 were over the age of
40 at the beginning of 2015.
Adam Hepworths entrepreneurial spirit

has taken him from building a landscaping
business to launching a ski manufacturing
company. His philosophy? Always be open to
whatever comes your way.
When his sister-in-law returned one day
from a favorite nail salon raving about a vinyl
application, Hepworth had a thought how
about developing a business that provides
an at-home version of whats available at
salons? He didnt know much about nails, but
his knowledge of custom printing and vinyl
applications would come in handy.
Hepworth worked with the companys
founders his wife and her two sisters to
create Jamberry. He operated from an
unheated room over the garage, developing
a new type of nail wrap, a website, and a
business and distribution plan promoted
through trade show displays and in-home
demonstrations. They hired consultants to
supplement full-time staff in publicizing their
products and their vision.
What began as a family affair and a
fledgling business filling about 3,000 orders
a month is now a company with a staff of 400
and a customer base in the millions.
Suja Juice
CEO
Jamberry
CEO
Wadiak
Co-Founder and CEO
Co-Founder and CTO
Matthew Wadiak
Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer
Blue Apron
New York, NY | Founded: 2012
The best meals are a precise blend of
complementary ingredients prepared from a
superior recipe. The same could be said for
companies hungry to make an impression in
an underserved market.
Enter Blue Apron, which delivers healthy,
high-quality ingredients to customers for the
convenient preparation of home-cooked meals.
Its founders were drawn from different
professional backgrounds, but they are
bound by a common vision and their own
personal frustration at not having access to
affordable, easy-to-prepare home meals with
top-shelf ingredients. Blue Apron meals are
planned based on customer needs, helping to
eliminate the middle distributor and cut down
on foodwaste.
The company currently has about 3 million
customers and sharply rising revenues that
will support its expanding network of farms
and suppliers.
21
Energy, Cleantech
and Natural Resources
The energy
to change
Award winner_Eric Dee Long
CEO
USA Compression
Austin, TX
Founded: 1998
A history of moving from one challenge to another

provided Eric Dee Long with the adaptive power to create
USA Compression and transform it into an industry leader.
ric Dee Long moved 17 times before he finished high school. Thats right: 17 times.
To say his itinerant youth had an impact on his personality not to mention his
character, his tenacity, his resilience and his drive is like saying nothing succeeds
like success. The truth is self-evident.
My dad worked for a major corporation, Long explains. I was forced to meet a
lot of people. The effect, he says, was simple: I extroverted. It is not surprising that
he turns the noun into a verb. After all, everything about him suggests action.
As a fifth-grader, Long started his own business laminating ID cards for his
schoolmates. He also mowed lawns. And as soon as he was able to secure a work
permit his 16th birthday he got a job at a bicycle and lawn mower repair shop.
My mom and dad instilled a work ethic in me, he says. I was always exposed to
financial things.
Inspired by his high school teachers in suburban Cleveland one of his many
stops along the way before college Long developed a love of biology, chemistry,
math and science. He decided to pursue a degree in Biomedical Engineering at
TexasA&MUniversity.
In college, he discovered that an even better combination of interests
probabilities, statistics and economic analysis came together in the field of
petroleum engineering. He switched majors. I graduated in 1980 and never
lookedback, he says.
Long was fascinated by the drilling, production and reservoir aspects of the field.
Today, he sits on the Advisory Board of the Department of Petroleum Engineering at
22
When things
get tough,
you have to
bring in the best.
What we have
been able to do
is outhustle our
competitors.
23
from the start, as well as during an early

period when a negative balance sheet
required an additional funding infusion.
Long likewise is passionate about and
profoundly grateful for the men and
women who make, sell and service the
companysproducts.
What really makes us successful is the
empowerment of our workforce, Long
says, pointing out that USA Compression
provides some 450 jobs, many of them
in lower-economic environments. He
says four Pillars of Excellence keep
the company strong, and the first one is
people. The others: equipment, culture
and service.
Were like the Navy SEALS, Long
says. When things get tough, you have to
bring in the best. What we have been able
to do is outhustle our competitors.
He is proud of the companys service
technicians who must run 24/7/365.
Long says the company is good to them,
and in turn they are good to the company.
We provide really good jobs in small
towns, he says. From service techs to senior management,
we make it a place where people want to be.
Long characterizes the companys workforce as individuals
who embody the entrepreneurial spirit and personify common
sense. They possess an incredible work ethic and integrity
beyond reproach. Their work is their bond, he says.
From service techs to senior management,

we make it a place where people want to be.
his alma mater. He is part of a network of like-minded
graduates who are close associates and friends.
Before founding USA Compression in 1998, Long
served in a variety of managerial roles in the oil and gas
industry. Among his career achievements, he aided in
the restructuring of a major gas pipeline company and
cofounded a compression services company.
The entrepreneurial spirit that first showed itself in
fifth grade went into overdrive when Long realized that
industry conditions were changing rapidly. He sought an
opportunity to build quality compression equipment. With
the funding support of a highly successful Caterpillar dealer,
he founded USA Compression and implemented an organic
growth plan to build equipment designed to better adapt to
climaticconditions.
His vision proved to be crystal clear. USA Compression
is now one of the top public independent providers of
compression services, with a diverse customer base made
up of producers, processors, gatherers and transporters of
natural gas.
He is the first to say that he accomplished none of this
alone. Im the original founder of a business that is now
a New York Stock Exchange publicly traded company,
Long says. But it isnt, quote, my company. A lot of times
entrepreneurs let their egos get in the way. They use the I
word instead of the we word. It is a team, not just one guy.
In particular, he cites Caterpillar dealer Randy Engstrom
for the support, confidence and guidance Engstrom provided
24
10
2
450
25
Annual growth rate percentage in

companys first decade
Multiple in size since January 2013 IPO
Number of employees
Average years of energy experience on
management team
At 57, Long finds himself growing increasingly reflective

about the blessings of success and family, including his wife,
two sons and a granddaughter.
Under his leadership, USA Compression has a history of
supporting the communities where the company operates.
This includes a partnership with Texas Advocacy Project,
which provides legal assistance to women and children
incrisis.
Long says he sees himself as his companys chief
storyteller. And the story he tells is one in which the
entrepreneurial spirit still functions as the major theme.
Were just getting started, he says.
finalists
Category: Energy, Cleantech and Natural Resources
M. Kevin McEvoy
John B. Walker
Donald Young
Houston, TX | Founded: 1964
A former US Navy officer who worked in

the areas of diving, salvage and submarine
rescue, Kevin McEvoy attributes much of
his success to saying yes to challenges.
After earning his bachelors degree
and MBA, he joined Solus Ocean Systems,
which was acquired by Oceaneering
International in 1984. All told hes been
with the company for 36 years and has
served as CEO for the past 4.
Oceaneering grew from an air and mixed
gas diving business in the Gulf of Mexico
into a global oilfield provider of engineered
services and products primarily to the
offshore oil and gas industry. Oceaneering
also serves the defense, entertainment and
aerospace industries.
Since 2012, under McEvoys tenure,
annual revenues have grown 32%. The
company enjoys a 59% market share on
all floating drilling rigs in service. Among
the factors in the companys success is
McEvoys high level of engagement in dayto-day activities. Demonstrating the sense
of ownership and accountability that is the
mark of an entrepreneur, he often is the
first person in and the last to leave.
John Walker established himself as a

leader at a young age through involvement
in high school and college student
government. A US Navy veteran who
served during the Vietnam War, he went
on to earn his undergraduate degree
at Texas Tech University and his MBA at
NewYorkUniversity.
Walker started his career covering
the energy sector as an equity research
analyst. As someone who measured
financial success based on risk-adjusted
return, he took a bold step in leaving his
Wall Street career to become an oil and gas
entrepreneur when he founded EnerVest.
One of the largest oil and gas companies
in the US, EnerVest manages more than
36,000 wells in 15 states, has 6 million
acres under lease and is the sixth-largest
gas producer in Texas.
Walker believes in hiring the best talent,
giving autonomy to the workforce and
rewarding professional achievements. He
is a contrarian, moving from an oil-heavy
asset portfolio to a gas-heavy portfolio while
the market in general has been favoring a
move to a portfolio heavy in liquid assets.
Donald Young attended public schools in

Corpus Christi, TX, and was recruited to play
quarterback at Harvard University. In 2008
he became CEO of Hoover Group, where he
ultimately led a management buyout amid a
global recession.
At the time, Hoover was a struggling
portfolio company, mainly supplying
intermediate bulk containers to deepwater
oil rigs. Young immediately began making
transformational changes. He moved
the entire business to Houston and, after
organizing a management buyout, invested his
life savings in Hoover and took ownership of
75% of the company.
In the seven years since, Hoovers employee
base has gone from about 60 to more
than 280, and the company has expanded
internationally. In 2014, Hoover sold 75% of
its ownership to First Reserve, and the original
investors were rewarded at close to 70 times
their original investment. Young accomplished
all this with a management philosophy based
on immersing himself in all aspects of the
business. He says one of the most personally
satisfying aspects of his job has been to see
the people around him grow.
Oceaneering International, Inc.

CEO
EnerVest, Ltd.
Hoover Group, Inc.

Chairman & CEO
25
Family
Business
I never thought about whether

Iwas ready. You play the cards
the way they are dealt.
26
Taking
chances
to succeed
Award winner_Andrew D. Peykoff II
President & CEO
Niagara Bottling, LLC
Ontario, CA
Founded: 1963
When his father suffered a stroke, Andy Peykoff,

at age 26, took the helm of Niagara Bottling.
Heattributes the companys enormous success to
a business strategy built on his willingness to fail.
ow is this for intense family involvement? Andy Peykoff personally
presided over the birth of his only son in the front seat of the family car.
It all happened on the side of the road when he and his wife, Jaime,
didnt quite make it to the hospital for what was anticipated to be a more
conventional delivery of their fourth child.
The next day, he wrote an email recounting the episode to family and
friends. He concluded it simply: All in a days work, my friends. All in a
days work.
That pretty much sums up Peykoffs approach to whatever is thrown
at him, both personally and professionally, and is emblematic of his
approach to life. He is focused on family and is known for doing things,
well,differently.
So when his father suffered a stroke and could no longer run the family
business, Niagara Bottling, it was in character for Andy the seventh of
eight children himself to step up and take over. Never mind that he was
just 26.
I never thought about whether I was ready, he says. You play the
cards the way they are dealt. I told my dad, Ill take it from here.
That was 13 years ago. Since his first year in charge, Peykoff has
multiplied Niagaras revenues by 38. The company is now the nations
largest private-label bottled water supplier with 2,600 employees and
19production facilities throughout the US.
True to character, Peykoff accomplished this feat by building the Niagara
Bottling team his own way. He surrounded himself with sharp young
people, many of whom knew nothing at all about the water business. You
want people who are bright, hard-working and passionate, he explains.
Thats more important than a rsum.
27
The Southern Methodist University graduate also

believes strongly in the importance of teamwork, leading
him to gravitate toward individuals who were involved in
high school or college athletics. Peykoff earned his own
sports bona fides as a Junior Olympic
athlete who played for championship
volleyball teams at Corona del Mar
High School and the Balboa Bay
Volleyball Club in Southern California.
Athletes are used to ups
and downs, he says. They are
competitive, and they look at how
to get the job done. In business, we
might make something great, but we
continually have to find ways to make
it better. Were competitive not in the
sense of being cutthroat but in the
sense that everybody wants to win.
A sense of loyalty and belonging
is important, too. All six of his direct
reports today were hired around the
time he took over.
We are very growth-oriented, and
we are very teamwork-oriented, he
says. There are not a lot of walls. We
have a sense of urgency. Our mentality
not only has a lot to do with how we
relate to our customers but also how we
relate to those in the manufacturing and
engineering space.
Peykoff says this mentality promotes
innovative thinking and risk-taking.
Its perfectly OK in our company if you
fail, he says, adding that the practice
of trying and failing often leads to
ultimate victory. One example of this
trial-and-error route to success is the
companys creation of the nested pack,
which increases the density of packages
and accommodates 17%more bottles
perpallet.
That has eliminated more than a
million pallets a year, he says. Those
sorts of things are important. Pennies
mean everything in our world. A penny a
case is worth $9million a year to us.
Such strides prompt the sincerest form of flattery.
Ourcompetitors always copy us, he boasts.
And well they should. The company was the first to
manufacture its own caps, and some 70% of the plastic
has been taken out of its bottle since Peykoff assumed
leadership. Today, Niagara has the lightest bottles,
lightest caps and fastest lines in the industry.
At 39, Peykoff now leads a large company that retains its

small-company mindset. Its a culture that has worked, he says.
The entrepreneurial spirit is not found in just one person. The
entrepreneurial spirit is in the whole company.
The entrepreneurial spirit is not found in

just one person. The entrepreneurial
spirit is in the whole company.
2,600
19
7
8
28
And what precisely

is the entrepreneurial
spirit? The
Number of production facilities
willingness to fall on
your face, he says.
Weight in grams of half-liter
The sense that
bottle (down from 23)
when you climb one
Number of bottle iterations
mountain, you look to
in a recent six-month period
climb another. I think
great entrepreneurs
foster that kind of mentality throughout the company.
Even as Niagara has grown under his leadership, Peykoffs
commitment to family remains paramount. Last year, he
spearheaded the creation of Niagara Cares, which supports
initiatives geared toward serving disadvantaged children and
theirfamilies.
I have a soft spot in my heart for kids, he says. The smile of a
child theres nothing better.
Number of employees nationwide
finalists
Category: Family Business
Lou
Gentine
Louie
Gentine
Robert M. Beall
Lou Gentine
Edward Weisiger, Jr.
Bradenton, FL | Founded: 1915
Louie Gentine
Charlotte, NC | Founded: 1926
Bealls, Inc.
Chairman
While countless family business leaders

can boast that they worked their way
up, Robert Beall has a different story: he
worked his way in. At the age of 10, he
was washing windows at his grandfathers
store. Today, the youthful window washer
is dare we say it? cleaning up in the
department and outlet store business.
Bealls grandfather started the
company 100 years ago as a small dry
goods store with no item priced over $1.
The company had grown to seven stores
by 1970 when Bealls father asked his
son to return to Bradenton, FL, home
of the first store where the boy had
washed windows. Ten years later, Beall
becameCEO.
Bealls was the first retailer in Florida to
introduce outlet stores. E-commerce was
introduced in 2000 when kiosks were put
in the stores. This focus on innovation
while adhering to the companys
core principles of fair treatment and
affordable merchandise has proved to be
a powerful formula for success. Bealls
now operates more than 530 retail store
sites across the southern and eastern US.
CTE
President and CEO
Chairman
CEO
Sargento Foods Inc.

Plymouth, WI | Founded: 1953
Though Sargento Foods has been in the
Gentine family for more than 60 years,
theres no birthright to leadership. Lou
Gentine and his son Louie reached the top the
old-fashioned way: they earned it. Company
rules insist on it: family members must work
outside Sargento for at least three years, jobs
are not created for family members, company
leadership is elected, and every corporate
officer must have a college degree.
Sargento, a leading marketer of retail
branded and sliced natural cheeses, has
benefited from this insistence on performance
over privilege. One of the keys to the
Gentines success has been their strategy to
treat advertising and product development
as a fixed cost, not as a financial lever to
meetgoals.
Father and son continue the entrepreneurial
spirit established by the company patriarch
when he opened a small cheese shop behind
his main business, a funeral home. They
have grown the company to more than
1,700employees.
Edward Weisiger was encouraged to start in

the family business at an early age. Summer
jobs pulling parts from warehouse shelves in
the North Carolina heat can be discouraging,
but he saw it as a means to establish a
good work ethic and to develop a solid
understanding of the people and the business.
As the years passed, Weisiger became a
mechanic apprentice, working side-by-side
with technicians and listening to customers.
During college he was introduced to various
marketing and management roles. Before
joining the company full-time, he became
involved in real estate, where he learned to
deal with ethical situations.
This diverse background enabled Weisiger
to take CTE from a single-solution provider of
Caterpillar equipment with 275 employees to
a diverse solutions provider with more than
1,100 employees. Over the past three years
alone, the companys revenues have grown
by 52%. Weisiger pushes for continuous
improvement while keeping the company
light and nimble enough to handle change.
He holds CTE and himself to high ethical and
moral standards, where accountability and
customer focus are paramount.
29
Foresight,
20/20
Award winner_Alfred P. West, Jr.
Chairman & CEO
SEI
Oaks, PA
Founded: 1968
Less-than-perfect eyesight kept Al West from

the AirForce, but his vision was perfect when
it came to creating the SEI model.
l Wests first foray into business was markedly different than where he is now as
Chairman & CEO of SEI. At the age of 14, West launched a lawn service on behalf of
localbanks. It was, he recalls, the first time he worked with bank trust departments.
I mowed lawns for people in Winter Park, Florida, explains West, who counts
aviator and test pilot General Chuck Yeager among his childhood heroes. When
thesnowbirds left for the season, their houses were often left in the hands of the bank.
Theygave me something like 10 or 12 houses to take care of.
After high school, West pursued his dream of becoming a pilot. He enrolled at the
Georgia Institute of Technology as an aeronautical engineering student and Air Force
ROTC cadet. Then, as it often does, fate stepped in. While West was still a cadet, his
eyesight deteriorated to 20/30. This disqualified him from the Air Force and scuttled his
flying ambitions.
So I had to change course, West says. I had figured I was going to fly for five years
and then start a business. I always wanted to start a business. So I switched thataround.
In short order West proved that although his eyesight may not have been perfect,
his vision certainly was. After completing his undergraduate coursework in Georgia,
he headed to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he pursued
hisPhD.
During his time at Wharton, West spent his summers working for major aerospace
firms. While there, he learned what not to do, he recalls. These were enormous firms,
and I learned that aero was not going to give many entrepreneurial openings, being
dominated by the very, very large defense contractors.
West turned to the world of finance. He and two fellow PhD students created a
computerized simulation that included 50 case studies on loans. Knowing he was on to
something, West took the loan case study to the credit department of the thenlargest
bank in town, which bought it.
This was the start of SEI, notes West. [It] basically taught people how to lend
money. Each study was designed to teach something about accounting and cash flow.
Itwas sold to about 55 banks.
30
Financial Services
Some of your best stuff

comes from a failure.
You learn and then
you grow.
Photo 2015 SEI
31
About every 10 years

we kind of reinvent
the company.
Today SEI is a leading global provider
of investment processing, investment
management and investment operations
solutions. Its offerings help corporations,
financial institutions and advisors, and
ultrahigh-net-worth families create and
managewealth.
Although the initial program was extremely
popular, the fledgling company ran out of
potential customers. To sustain and grow the
business, West next focused on bank trust
departments and built a trust system around
real-time computing. It was very advanced,
he says. With sustained energy and drive,
West spent the next 10 years automating
trustdepartments.
Since SEIs inception, Wests vision has led
thecompany in anticipating changing market
needs and creating innovative business
solutions to serve its clients. Case in point:
The SEI Wealth Platform, which serves as
a standalone solution delivering wealth
managers the infrastructure, operations and
administrative support necessary to achieve
their strategic objectives. Itsupports trading
and transactions on 131 stock exchanges in
50countries and 35currencies.
Wests experiences working at aerospace
companies helped him create the physical
structure of SEI today. At those companies
he found that the workspace setup often
affected executive teaming and decision
making. At SEI, West has eliminated all
trappings of status. All furniture is on
wheels so workspaces may be altered to
match changing projects. Cables hang from
the ceiling to provide power and mobility
to each workstation, and artwork fills SEIs
officesworldwide.
Throughout SEIs more-than-40-year history,
Wests mission has remained constant: to
help clients achieve success by developing
consistently relevant solutions delivered through
outstanding client experience. He continues to
32
Photo 2015 SEI
The SEI Wealth Platform supports trading

and transactions on 131 stock exchanges
in 50 countries and 35 currencies
move SEI forward with the introduction of new products and services.
We have a new platform to be provided to our clients, West says.
Were also creating an enterprise system for money managers. We are
actually in the process of re-strategizing. About every 10 years we kind of
reinvent the company.
Today SEI employs approximately 2,700 people in locations around
the world, including its Oaks, PA, headquarters and offices in Canada,
HongKong, Ireland, the Netherlands, South Africa, the United Arab
Emirates and the UK.
finalists
Category: Financial Services
Noah Breslow
Kenneth Lin
Jonathan Steinberg
San Francisco, CA | Founded: 2007
Noah Breslow believes that wisely applied

technology solves complicated problems.
Through several ventures in software and
satellite telecommunications, hes developed
a keen understanding on what makes a good
business model.
In just five years at OnDeck, Breslow led
several divisions and then became CEO. The
companys primary focus is helping small
businesses access capital. As a result of
his work, the company secured sources of
capital and won key strategic partnerships
with banks and other large financial
companies.
OnDecks advanced analytics, proprietary
credit scoring and outstanding customer
service have made it an industry leader. Its
customized application allows decisions
to be made in minutes and funding to be
available in a day.
In 2014, OnDeck experienced 142%
yearover-year revenue growth, but
challenges remain. To reach the untapped
market of more than 28 million small
business owners in the country, OnDeck
is investing in direct marketing to build its
brand and educate potential customers.
While working in the credit card industry

in the late 1990s, Kenneth Lin saw the
possibility for a business in that space to
have both a social focus and workable
business model. This vision led him to create
Credit Karma.
To educate its consumers about personal
financial management, Credit Karma offers
a number of tools including credit report
cards, a credit advice center, financial
product reviews and free credit monitoring,
among many others. The company matches
its members credit profiles with better
financial service products, helping banks
target relevant consumers.
Although Credit Karma was founded
just as the financial crisis was gripping
the country, Lin kept true to his vision,
persevering with strict financial discipline
and support from investors, family
andfriends.
Now profitable, Credit Karma boasts
some 35 million users representing a
20% market penetration. Lins goal is to
achieve 100million users, scaling company
resources while offering more financial
vehicle options.
Drawing on his passion for financial services

and his belief that exchange-traded funds
(ETFs) would eventually overtake traditional
mutual funds, in 2004 Jonathan Steinberg
founded WisdomTree Investments.
While more conventional providers base
their approach on market-cap-weighted
indexes, Steinberg worked with a colleague
to create the dividend-weighted indexes that
form the basis of WisdomTrees platform. The
company bases its business on two guiding
principles: offering full transparency and
delivering better financial information to
itsclients.
WisdomTrees difference in market
approach meant the Securities and Exchange
Commission took years to grant Steinberg
approval, but an unflinching belief in his vision
and a determination to succeed carried him
through the wait, as well as other tough times
that included an initial lack of funding and the
2008 financial crisis.
The company has since prospered.
WisdomTree says for the past eight years
ETFs have overtaken inflows to traditional
mutual funds, capturing more than half of all
dollars invested.
OnDeck
CEO
Credit Karma
CEO and Founder
WisdomTree Investments, Inc.

CEO and President
33
Life
Sciences
We say big
pharma makes
a small
difference in
large patient
populations,
but we want to
make a big
difference in a
small patient
population.
34
Tenacity, with a
global perspective
Award winner_ Jean-Jacques Bienaim
Chairman and CEO
BioMarin Pharmaceutical
Novato, CA
Founded: 1996
BioMarin Chairman and CEO Jean-Jacques

Bienaim credits his global perspective to a
globe-hopping childhood.
oving from one country to another while growing up served to educate and ultimately
provide a mission for Jean-Jacques Bienaim, Chairman and CEO of BioMarin
Pharmaceutical.
His father worked as a mining engineer, moving on behalf of his employer from
country to country. Born in a small town in France, Bienaim first moved to Italy, then
Sardinia, before moving to Iraq and farther afield. At one point in his education, he
recalls, I spent my first quarter in Tunisia, second quarter in Paris and third quarter in
Senegal. Eventually he graduated with a BA in Economics from the Ecole Suprieure
de Commerce de Paris. After moving to the US, he earned an MBA from the Wharton
School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Bienaims travels brought him understanding and sensitivity to others. As I moved
around the world, I got perspective on the need to be flexible, he says. There are
very many cultures, and people look at the world in many differentways.
In his 25 years working within the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries,
Bienaims entrepreneurial drive has been recognized and rewarded. I almost went
to medical school, he explains, and would probably have the same job but have
had a different path to get here. I was always interested in medicine. I lived in those
countries where there was a lot of suffering. I wanted to share and to be involved with
something where I would make a difference for a lot of people.
Learning as he went, Bienaim achieved remarkable success at a number of
companies. In his job just before joining BioMarin, he was Chairman, CEO and
President of a company focused on industrial bioproducts and targeted cancer
biotherapeutics. He increased its revenues dramatically, an accomplishment that
eventually resulted in its sale at a substantial value.
35
When the opportunity came for Bienaim to join

BioMarin, many of his colleagues advised that moving would
not be in his best interest. With entrepreneurial insight and
fervor, he joined the company.
BioMarin was not in great shape when I joined, he
remembers. It was running out of money and moving in
an unfortunate direction. My sense was that all of these
problems were fixable. I realized there were good assets
that could be managed. But there were a few decisions to
For Bienaim, innovation is the key to company success.

BioMarin currently has five drugs on the market for which there
are no direct competitors. His knowledge and ability to describe
the benefits of BioMarins experimental therapies for rare
diseases have garnered FDA approval for every product. These
approvals have come in 5 years, whereas the industry average
is10 years.
Bienaim attracts employees who share his vision for
developing therapies that make a difference in the lives of
You have to create an

environment that
will allow people to
succeed and thrive
and do things they
didnt even think they
would be able todo.
be made quickly to save the company, which I did. We

downsized by a third and raised money.
BioMarin specializes in developing treatment for rare
and ultra-rare diseases. These orphan diseases are
defined as having small patient populations of 200,000
orfewer.
We are very patientcentric, explains Bienaim. The
company is very close to the patient community, supporting
it in many different ways to improve access to treatment
and offer financial support for treatment.
We say big pharma makes a small difference in large
patient populations, he says, but we want to make a big
difference in a small patient population. Thats how we
position ourselves.
Under his leadership, BioMarin spends much less than
industry standards in getting its drugs to market. This is due
to Bienaims strategic decision to attack diseases that are
very well understood and therefore have a high probability
of success. He is also focused and driven to pursue only
drugs that are either first-in-class or bestinclass.
36
5
55
Drugs on the market

Countries where BioMarin
has a commercial presence
patients. You have to create an environment in building a

company that will allow people to succeed and thrive and do things
they didnt even think they would be able to do, heexplains.
In the past, BioMarin was known for small, successful
acquisitions. Most recently, says Bienaim, the company made
a big acquisition that brought a line of products for muscular
dystrophy. He looks forward to gaining FDA approval of those
products by the end of the year and launching them next year in
the US and Europe.
BioMarin has a direct commercial presence in 55 countries
around the world. Its next move is to expand the size of its
commercial international organization with the same enthusiasm,
tenacity, resilience and perseverance that have led to Bienaims
and BioMarins success from the start.
finalists
Category: Life Sciences
Charles
Dunlop
James
Dunlop
Charles Dunlop
Mike Mussallem
Tim Walbert
James Dunlop
Irvine, CA | Founded: 2000
Deerfield, IL | Founded 2005
Mike Mussallem expanded his market knowledge

and experience first as a chemical engineer, and
then as general manager at Baxter International.
But with his group underperforming, he helped
implement its spin-off into an independent
company Edwards Lifesciences.
Mussallems entrepreneurial vision and
spirit have created an organization that
aggressively invests in R&D, developing and
delivering important innovations quickly to
patients. For example, Edwards developed
a revolutionary, non-invasive transcatheter
heart valve that eliminates the need to
remove an old valve while keeping the patient
under anesthesia for long periods.
Since its founding, Edwards has become a
global leader in the science of heart valves
and hemodynamic monitoring. Mussallems
emphasis on collaboration has led Edwards to
develop expertise in the science of structural
heart disease and critical care monitoring
technologies.
Last year, donations from the Edwards
Lifesciences Foundation to nonprofit
organizations around the world exceeded
$8million; most were aimed at fighting the
global affliction of heart valve disease.
Being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease

lends special impetus to Tim Walberts efforts
at Horizon Pharma. As a patient he appreciates
how having access to meaningful therapies can
improve someones daily life; as an executive
he appreciates making that access happen.
Walbert honed his skills in sales, marketing
and the understanding of product life
cycles at such companies as Abbott and
G.D.Searle, Merck & Co. before sharpening his
entrepreneurial, leadership and management
style at a series of biotech start-ups. He
joined the Horizon Board in 2008. Walberts
leadership skills were quickly recognized, and
he was soon asked to head the company.
At the time, the company only produced
Duexis, a combination drug used to treat
arthritis. Today Horizon has seven commercial
drugs, including a pain reliever aimed at
reducing the risk of stomach ulcers.
Walbert encourages employees to take risks,
with positive results. For example, at a sales
representatives suggestion, the company
developed its Prescriptions-Made-Easy
program, which delivers physician-prescribed
products directly to a patients home within
24hours.
Co-founder & CEO
Co-founder, President, CCO & Interim CEO
Ambry Genetics
Aliso Viejo, CA | Founded: 1999
Absent outside funding and supporting
operations and expansion purely on revenue,
Charles Dunlop and James Dunlop maintain
financial independence for Ambry Genetics, a
medical diagnostics services provider.
With Ambry, the brothers maximize
their complementary abilities Charles
in establishing and managing laboratories
in major research, manufacturing and
technology transfer environments, and
James in his technical and operational skills.
Ambry began as a genetic testing
laboratory. Its first test sequenced the gene
that causes cystic fibrosis; it now offers
hundreds of panels that test for mutations.
Ambrys biggest obstacle was that
some companies had patents on genes
basically a monopoly on a disease state
in the genetic setting. Ambry and others
contested, and in 2013 the Supreme Court
negated anyones right to patent naturally
occurring DNA sequencing. The victory
removed any roadblocks to Ambrys research
andmarketing.
Edwards Lifesciences
Chairman & CEO
Horizon Pharma
Chairman, President & CEO
37
A pioneer
on the frontier
Award winner_Maggie Wilderotter
Chairman and CEO
Frontier Communications
Stamford, CT
Founded: 1935
Maggie Wilderotter has been a highly regarded technology

executive for close to three decades.
hen Maggie Wilderotter joined Frontier Communications in 2004, the company was flailing. Phone revenue was
declining, customers were leaving and employee morale was low. It had gone up for sale but failed to findabuyer.
That would be a daunting scenario for any new President and CEO to step into (she became Chairman in 2006),
but Wilderotter, a self-identified trailblazer, knew she was more than prepared for the challenge. In fact, it was the
challenge that drew her in.
Wilderotters first lessons in entrepreneurship came at age 12 while working at a boardwalk candy store in the
seaside town of Asbury Park, NJ I made candy, I ate candy, I sold candy, she says. She attributes her philosophies
on customer service to the shop owner, who came in daily, even in his 80s. It taught me about serving customers,
she says, and put a focus on the importance of customer relationships.
Her education at College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts established her pioneer persona. When Wilderotter
arrived in the 1970s, she was in just the second class to admit women. Before graduating with a degree in Economics,
her ambition was to get married and have a career, both of which she tackled in short order upon commencement
when she married her junior high school sweetheart, Jay, and moved to Arizona for his Air Force pilot training.
It was in 1978, after Jays transfer to California, that she responded to a newspaper ad for a job at Cable Data in
Sacramento. She moved up the ladder and ultimately ran several functions, ascending to the role of Vice President at
age 29, and later Senior Vice President, before she left for McCaw Cellular, which had found its niche in software and
cable television before either of those was cool.
After high-profile stints at Wink Communications, AT&T Wireless and Microsoft, Wilderotter landed at Frontier.
Media, Entertainment
and Communications
38
I inherited a
company that didnt
have strategic
options and couldnt
even be sold, and I
had an employee
base that didnt
know how to win.
39
My vision for Frontier is to be the leader in providing our

telecommunication services in the markets that we serve.
In assessing the dire situation, Wilderotter overhauled
leadership. As directors retired, they were replaced by a
diverse group of men and women with strong experience in
varied industries. Women were promoted to senior leadership
positions across the company.
$10m
28
Initiative to stimulate growth

and investment in rural America
States where Frontier
offers services
All companies have obstacles, but one of the biggest ones

for Frontier was employee culture, she explains. I inherited
a company that didnt have strategic options and couldnt
even be sold, and I had an employee base that didnt know
how to win.
40
Her approach was grounded in making personal

connections, much like shed learned in her early candy
storedays.
I went out and met with thousands of employees to make
sure that they understood we were all in it together, says
Wilderotter, who defines her leadership style as very open
and inclusive with efforts to get the complexity out.
I heard what they had to say and I made a pledge
to them that we would work together to really transform
Frontier, she says. My vision for Frontier is to be the leader
in providing our telecommunication services in the markets
that we serve.
As the head of a communications company, Wilderotter
sees herself as a servant CEO who emphasizes
communicating with her employees and customers. Every
employee and customer has her email address and can
send her their ideas or concerns. Her policy is to respond to
messages within 24 hours.
Wilderotter is passionate about Frontier and giving back
to the community. In September 2014, she established a
program called Americas Best Communities (ABC) with
cosponsors DISH, CoBank and The Weather Channel. The
$10 million initiative was created to stimulate growth and
investment in rural America, particularly in cities of 10,000
to 80,000 people.
Though still in its premier year, Wilderotter reports that
communities have presented such entrepreneurial ideas
as waterfront development, downtown revitalization, tech
incubators, playgrounds and farmers markets. And its that
variety that perhaps best represents the wide swath that
entrepreneurs cut in the American landscape.
Entrepreneurs come in many shapes and sizes, but you
have to have the combination of passion, innovation and
creativity; along with a sense of company and a way to
attract, retain and motivate employees; [and] a good handle
on how to create sustainable value in order to succeed,
sheexplains.
Ultimately, she says, ABC is what entrepreneurship is all
about: Entrepreneurship is not about a flash in the pan.
Itsnot about something that lasts a year or two.
Its about something that lasts for generations.
Perhaps Wilderotter has come full circle from her days at
the Jersey Shore, where she learned the values that sustain
her today.
Sometimes I call [my career] a return to good luck, she
reflects. You wind up in a good place, in a good industry,
with growth prospects, and you ride it.
finalists
Category: Media, Entertainment and Communications
Frank Addante
Chris DeWolfe
Sean Eugene Reilly
Beverly Hills, CA | Founded: 2010
Baton Rouge, LA | Founded: 1908
Rubicon Project
CEO, Founder &
Chief Product Architect
SGN
Co-Founder & CEO
Playa Vista, CA | Founded: 2007
Charles DeWolfe has the gift of foresight:

before founding SGN, he recognized a
tremendous opportunity in mobile games
as an emerging medium for connected
entertainment.
As co-founder and former CEO of
MySpace, he was a pioneer of social
networking culture. During his visits to
MySpaces Asia offices, he witnessed the
advancement of personal mobile devices
that had yet to arrive in the US. He saw that
mobile games were a logical next step to
games on social networks.
DeWolfe began building SGN through a
series of acquisitions and organic growth. In
2010, he secured funding to launch the first
stage of his new endeavor, Mindjolt Games.
The following year he acquired SGN and
merged the two under the SGN banner. The
next piece was added in June 2013, when
SGN acquired game studio Mob Science.
To date, more than 500 million SGN
games have been installed on leading
mobile and social platforms, including more
than a dozen top-10 titles in the App Store.
One SGN game, Cookie Jam, was named
Facebooks Game of the Year 2014.
Frank Addante started five companies

before the age of 30. With his latest
venture, the Rubicon Project, he has,
inessence, created the stock market for
advertising by providing a model that
allows companies to bid and sell advertising
space on websites.
Addante believes he can change the
definition of advertising so people see it
as a source of information rather than a
mundane corporate tactic to get consumers
to purchase products.
He viewed internet advertising as wildly
inefficient, so he created a technology
platform that automates the entire
industry serving more than 700 billion
ad transactions per month. More than 500
of the worlds largest website publishers
use the Rubicon Projects platform to sell
adspace to more than 100,000 advertisers.
Addante is poised to take on the most
popular website in the world to grow his
marketplace for online advertisers. To
do that, he plans to build an army using
smaller players that will end up being three
times the size of the leader.
Lamar Advertising Company

CEO
Lamar Advertisings story begins with the

dissolution of a business partnership and a
coin flip that awarded a small sign company
to Charles Lamar. It was considered to be the
losing end of the deal but has since become a
leader in industry innovation, and CEO Sean
Reilly has been at the epicenter of its evolution.
Among his accomplishments, Reilly has
overseen the acquisition of notable advertising
firms; debuted digital printing; created
an electronic Emergency Alert System;
led the energy-efficient transformation
for billboards; and promoted RoadNinja,
Lamars free interstate travel map all while
producing 3-Dbillboard enhancements.
Reilly believes in empowering Lamars
management team, establishing a flat
organizational structure that enables
autonomy for decisions about pricing,
newsite development, hiring and operations
among its 200 local managers. Lamar
trusts its managers to make the right
call, cultivating anentrepreneurial spirit
that extends well beyond family leaders.
Cumulatively, these actions have
established Lamar as a member of the
BigThree in out-of-home advertising.
41
Real Estate, Hospitality

and Construction
We like to say
that every quarter
is like one year
in another
company.
42
There is
no I in
we
Award winner_Adam Neumann
Co-Founder and CEO
WeWork
New York, NY
Founded: 2010
Adam Neumann creates a community

for creators.
dam Neumann has always exhibited a flair for entrepreneurship. Born in TelAviv,
he moved to New York after serving as a naval officer in the Israeli military.
All the while, the experiences that shaped him, such as the complexity of
managing a military operation and the collaboration and virtues of living in
an Israeli kibbutz a communal settlement would go on to inspire the ideals
that became the pillars of WeWork.
The idea behind WeWork is to provide budding entrepreneurs with a platform
to create what could be their lifes work but in a communal environment.
The company leases space in an office building, divides it up into smaller work
areas and charges a fee for virtual or physical membership for start-ups. This
arrangement offers members an opportunity to connect with a larger community
of likeminded people.
Before enjoying groundbreaking success with WeWork, Neumann took some
baby steps along his entrepreneurial path literally. It wasnt long after arriving
in New York following his Israeli military commitment that he enrolled in Baruch
College to pursue a degree in Business. During his third year in college, Neumann
became very anxious and was looking to start a business. After his first startup,
a high-end womens shoe business, failed, Neumann had some success with
his next venture in the baby clothing market. That company, Crawlers, sold
baby pants with kneepads on them to protect childrens knees. Then Neumann
partnered with another company to create a high-end version of the baby
clothes, which became Egg Baby.
I had already owned three businesses and the most difficult thing is starting
it and finding the offices rather than doing the thing that you love, he says.
43
In 2008, the world moved

from an I mentality to
a we mentality.
the generation of millennials, that

does not cherish cash and material
goods the way past generations
did. They cherish meaning and
intention sometimes before material
goods. Thats a new way of seeing
theworld.
They sold their stake in Green
Desk and cofounded WeWork to
reimagine the way entrepreneurs
work and to build a robust
community by providing access
to services, resources and a work
environment that empowers
creators to pursue their dreams.
One desk at WeWork affords
a member access to 29 physical
locations around the world with an
instant connection to the more than
23,000 (and growing) members
that work in those cities. In fact,
more than half of WeWork members
have collaborated or done business
together. Additionally, members can
take advantage of discounted health
care, cloud hosting services and
gym memberships.
Nothing had prepared Neumann
for the stunning growth of the company in such a short period of time.
One of the difficult things in a high-growth company is that, even with
the best intentions, the company moves so fast and growth happens so
regularly, he says. We like to say that every quarter is like one year in
another company. When you move at that rate, you have to be willing to
change, and you have to be willing to take advice. You have to learn from
mistakes and be very open-minded to create a slightly flat organization
where everyones opinion isimportant.
To Neumanns point, WeWork started 2015 with 240 employees and by
the end of summer had grown to 790. Neumann plans to expand WeWork
to more cities and to hundreds
of thousands of members within
the next couple ofyears.
He says, If you are going to
build a business today and your
business does not have a real
intention behind it, something
positive that it actually brings
to people and makes their life
better, and if you also dont
mix with that doing something
that you love, if you are not
passionate enough, then I dont
believe you are going to be
trulysuccessful.
WeWork started 2015 with 240 employees

and by the end of summer had grown to 790.
Neumann says he found himself spending 80%
of his time focusing on non-core business activities
Through a roommate, Neumann met Miguel
McKelvey, and the two hit it off. We both had
very interesting childhoods and very simple
backgrounds that had a lot to do with sharing,
he says.
Seeing so much vacant space in buildings
around his Brooklyn office, Neumann repeatedly
approached a landlord about empty space in one
of his buildings. He asked me, What are you
going to do with the building? You know nothing
about real estate. I said, What do you know
about real estate? Your building is empty!
herecalls.
Neumann and McKelvey hit upon the idea of
leasing space and subletting individual cubicles.
They eventually struck a deal with the landlord
to see if their idea would gain traction. The
business, called Green Desk, was a success.
Neumann and McKelvey sensed an
entrepreneurial energy in New York City. In
2008, the world moved from an I mentality
to a we mentality, Neumann says. And you
have the largest generation that weve seen,
44
finalists
Category: Real Estate, Hospitality and Construction
James Michael
Appling, Jr.
John Kilroy
Zeke Turner
TNT Crane & Rigging, Inc.

CEO
Los Angeles, CA | Founded: 1947
Carmel, IN | Founded: 2002

Before Michael Appling joined TNT Crane&
Rigging, he worked for several years in
industrial services. While searching for a
leadership opportunity, his growing interest
in the crane industry led him to discover that
TNT was up for sale. He immediately set up a
meeting and personally put together an offer
to purchase the company. The deal closed
in2007.
When Appling joined TNT, the company
had just three locations in Texas and
55cranes, and 70% of its customer base was
in the refining and petrochemical industries.
Hisvision was not only to expand but also to
diversify, while improving quality for customers
and employees and building a strong company
culture. He has accomplished this goal through
a series of acquisitions, organic growth, and a
consistent and effective leadership style. TNT
has grown to 35 branches and about 570
cranes across 37states and western Canada.
TNTs customer base is now welldiversified,
servicing the refining, petrochemical,
power, midstream, oil and gas, commercial,
industrial, and constructionindustries.
Kilroy Realty Corporation

CEO, Chairman & President
Mainstreet
Founder and CEO
John Kilroy began working at his fathers

real estate company at a young age,
sweeping its warehouse space. Showing
early signs of his entrepreneurial spirit, he
collected scrap copper while he swept and
sold it for a profit. In college, when Kilroy
wasnt in class, he worked in his fathers
office and soon began assisting his father
in structuring multimilliondollardeals.
But by the time Kilroy took the helm, he
saw that the companys private financial
structure prevented competition with
larger peers. Despite differing opinions
within the family, he took the company
public in January 1997. This bold move
ultimately unlocked the companys
potential. Now operating in every major
West Coast market, Kilroy has more than
15.8 million square feet of real estate
either stabilized or in development for
todays innovation leaders in technology,
media and entertainment.
In the 34 years since becoming
President and later CEO, Kilroy has
doubled the companys employee base
and, in the past 5years alone, grown its
value fourfold.
Developing successful business enterprises

from the time he was a child, Zeke Turner
left a job on Wall Street at the age of 25
to bring his entrepreneurial spirit and
experience back to his home state of Indiana.
After gaining health care and mergers
and acquisitions experience in New York
and Brazil, Turner had the idea to build an
investment company, which evolved into
purchasing real estate. What he found
through his cumulative experience was that
the senior care real estate industry was past
its prime. In his desire to change the way
the industry was perceived, he decided to
develop properties himself.
With just $10,000, Turner founded
Mainstreet in 2002. Focusing on shortterm
rehab and therapy, Mainstreet owns,
develops and acquires post-acute care
facilities. Knowing few people want to stay
in a care facility, his companys mantra is
getwell, get home.
Mainstreet directly impacts 1,100 patient
lives at any given time and has created
2,400 permanent jobs. These numbers
are expected to nearly double by the end
of2015.
45
Retail and
Consumer Products
Staying
focused
Award winner_Reade Fahs
CEO
Award winner_Bruce Steffey
President and COO
National Vision, Inc.
Duluth, GA
Founded: 1990
Reade Fahs and Bruce Steffey took National Vision, Inc.

from bankruptcy to the worlds largest bricks and clicks
optical retailer while helping improve the eyesight of
more than 33 million people.
o take a chain of eyeglass stores from bankruptcy to more than 50 consecutive quarters of
growth requires, well, vision.
In 2002, National Vision, Inc., a publicly held company based in Duluth, GA, derived 95%
of its sales from the Vision Centers it leased in Walmart stores across thecountry.
Then Walmart announced that it would not renew those leases when they expired over
the next decade. The companys market cap collapsed. And it appeared that National
Vision would be making a round trip back to bankruptcy court, having just emerged a few
monthsearlier.
The board searched for a savior. And it found one in Reade Fahs, a seasoned vision
industry executive.
When Fahs took the reins as CEO, he recruited retail industry veteran Bruce Steffey as his
President. The pair immediately set off on a road trip, visiting as many stores as they could.
For the first year, says Fahs, our mantra was to listen to our store managers and
rankorder what they wanted. That was key to jump-starting the company because the
store managers suddenly recognized that, Wow, the people in the central office are now
here to serve us.
The duo also made it clear that the entire organization existed solely for its customers.
If you arent serving a patient or customer directly, says Fahs, then youd better darn
well be serving someone who is serving a patient or customer directly. We dont understand
your job description if its not one of those two things.
46
We think its a
social justice issue that
lowerincome people
dont have access to
quality vision care.
47
With the culture that Fahs and Steffey have created, the
company attracts service-oriented people and prepares
them for success. We spend a lot of money in this company
on training, says Fahs. It doesnt matter if youre a doctor or
a store manager we train, we identify, and we promote.
you ask our doctors, Why do you like practicing here? theyll
say, Because I know that if not for National Vision, many of
my patients wouldnt be able to afford eyecare.
We think its a social justice issue that lowerincome people
dont have access to quality vision care, Fahs adds. So we
make sure that they have the same access to eye
health that wealthier peopledo.
The company carries that philosophy to
underprivileged people throughout the US
andtheworld.
National Vision has created a nonprofit
organization called Frames for
the World that provides vision
correction for those in need. The
organization collects new eyeglass
frames from manufacturers that
have overstock and distributes them
to clinics in developingcountries.
National Vision also partners
with other organizations such
as VisionSpring, which serves
people in ElSalvador, India and
Bangladesh. And the company
supports RestoringVision.org, which
donates readers and sunglasses to
missionarygroups.
National Vision fuels its
philanthropic endeavors through
a business that is now thriving.
The company today has more than
800stores and 21e-commerce websites. Its brands include
Americas Best Contacts& Eyeglasses, EyeglassWorld,
OpticalCenter, Vision Center and Vista Optical. Together,
these brands comprise the largest bricksandclicks
optical retailer in the world and have served more than
33millioncustomers.
Boston-based Berkshire Partners took National Vision
private in 2005. In 2014, Berkshire sold the company to
KKR & Co.LP, which was no doubt impressed by National
Vision posting more than 50 consecutive quarters of positive
comparable sales results an industryrecord.
And what happened with that imperiled Walmart contract?
Fahs and Steffey relentlessly pursued the retailing behemoth
for nine years, sometimes visiting Bentonville, AR, once
amonth.
Their persistence paid off. Walmart not only renewed the
leases for nearly 200 Vision Centers, but when a relationship
with 1-800-Contacts dissolved in 2012, Walmart awarded the
entire online contact lens contract to National Vision.
With its Always Low Prices philosophy, Walmart is the
ideal partner for National Vision. As Steffey says, We will not
lose focus that we are the low-cost provider of optical services
in the United States. We wont take our eyes off thatball.
We will not lose focus that we are the

low-cost provider of optical services.
800
21
$69
Brick-and-mortar stores
E-commerce websites
Price of two pairs of glasses
and an eye exam
The goal, Fahs says, is to encourage all employees to

stay with National Vision for their entire careers. The
companys track record is impressive: retention rates are
85% in National Visions retail stores. And under Fahs and
Steffeys leadership, only 1 of 25 senior executives has left
the company.
One reason may be that employees not only enjoy solid
financial incentives, but also the personal rewards that come
from helping an underserved segment of the population:
people with lower incomes. Where many retail vision chains
charge hundreds of dollars for just one pair of glasses,
National Vision customers can get two pairs of glasses and an
eye exam for a total of $69.
Our stores are by far the lowest-cost places in America to
get eyeglasses, contacts and eye exams, Steffey says. And if
48
finalists
Category: Retail and Consumer Products
Jamie
Lima
Paulo
Lima
Marla Malcolm Beck

Bluemercury, Inc.
Annies, Inc.
CEO
John Foraker
Jamie Lima
Washington, DC | Founded: 1999
Berkeley, CA | Founded: 1989
Paulo Lima
For Marla Malcolm Beck, its all about

relationships and personalized attention.
When she pursued her passion for the
cosmetics business, she thought first about
what women needed and recognized
that they needed a way to purchase
cosmeticsonline.
Bluemercury was the first company to
bring luxury cosmetics to the internet.
After the dotcom bust, Beck took her
peoplecentric model to the bricks-and-mortar
world, establishing Bluemercury as a chain
of friendly, accessible and knowledgeable
cosmeticsstores.
To this day, Beck talks directly to her
customers instead of basing her decisions
solely on data. She also has centralized all
administrative duties to ensure that store
managers are out on the floor interacting with
customers andemployees.
Recognizing a profitable and innovative
business, Macys acquired Bluemercury in
2015. Bluemercury pop-up stores within
Macys have enabled Beck to fulfill her dream
of building additional product lines, including
M-61 Skincare, the first highly technical,
natural cosmeceutical brand.
When Annie Withey cofounded her humble

IT Cosmetics
pasta company in 1989, she couldnt have
Jersey City, NJ | Founded: 2008
dreamed that someday her principles would
The most frightening moment in Jamie Limas
influence a global food giant.
career occurred in 2010 at QVC studios.
But then, she couldnt have dreamed of an
With IT Cosmetics entire inventory packed
executive like John Foraker.
into a truck, she and her husband, Paulo
When Foraker arrived at Annies in 1999,
Lima, had 10 minutes to prove that their
the company had just seven employees. As
line of therapeutic cosmetics would sell to a
a former banker who became a leader in the
TVaudience.
organic foods revolution, Foraker sought to
The truckload sold out in just eight minutes.
transform the brand by making it stand for
IT stands for innovative technology. The
love, a mothers connection to her children,
company began when Jamie was a news anchor
and support for environmental causes.
suffering from rosacea, a skin disorder that
He pursued an aggressive expansion
causes discoloration. When she couldnt find a
strategy that saw the company move into
new categories such as crackers, fruit snacks, product to address her condition, she sensed a
white space opportunity. The Limas, working
dressings and soups. And he made sure
with an advisory board of leading physicians,
those products moved out of the natural
invested their lifes savings to create a line that
sections of the supermarket and into the
was both therapeutic and concealing.
main aisles.
Since then, IT Cosmetics has become
Foraker led the Annies IPO in 2012.
a global phenomenon. Even without an
Thecompany was acquired in 2014 by
advertising budget, its products have built a
General Mills, which recently committed to
many of the principles that Foraker espouses, globalfollowing.
Jamie logs as many as 200 QVC appearances
including transparency, sustainable
per year and has won 11 QVC Customer
processes and closer communication
ChoiceAwards.
withconsumers.
Co-Founder & CEO
Co-Founder & President
49
Services
I made the big bet
that health care
had to transform
because of the
financial pressures
brought on by aging
baby boomers
and that Medicaid
would be the
centerofgravity.
50
Transformation,
ahead of the
curve
Award winner_Y. Michele Kang
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Cognosante
McLean, VA
Founded: 2008
Defying expectations and conventional wisdom

has led Michele Kang to the top of her industry.
tarting a company in June 2008, just
months before of the financial crisis, may
appear to be bad timing. But Michele Kang,
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of
Cognosante, knew it was the time to act if
her company was going to get ahead of the
curve and lead the coming transformation in
the US health care industry.
I could see how certain things were lining
up and that no other company was doing it,
Kang recalls.
Kang, who had run Northrop Grummans
health care business prior to founding
Cognosante, believed that the health care
information technology agenda outlined by
President George W. Bush in 2004 would
have major implications for the industry.
Her instincts were correct. Cognosante is
now a leading provider of IT, consulting and
outsourcing services to key federal and state
health agencies.
Kang is no stranger to going against the
prevailing headwinds. As a teenager in South
Korea, she rebelled against the expectation
that young women went to school to either
find a husband or become a school teacher.

I wanted to study business and
economics, she recalls, and even though
I was at the top of my class, the best I could
hope for in South Korea [at that time] was to
be hired as the assistant to a CEO.
Fortunately, Kangs parents encouraged
her to pursue her dreams. Her father, who
had studied in the US and Japan, told her
that I should pursue whatever I desire, and
that the only reason that I wouldnt achieve
my dream was because I didnt try.
Using the money her parents had saved
for her dowry to help fund her education,
Kang moved to the US. She attended the
University of Chicago, working as a waitress
when she wasnt studying or attending class.
When she graduated with her MBA, she set
three 10-year goals: 1) develop a broad
perspective of the business world, 2)learn
organizational strategy to be a leader
and mobilize people, and 3) take a shot at
becoming CEO.
After achieving her first goal, Kang joined
Northrop Grumman, where she was soon
51
tapped to lead its health care

business. Under her direction,
Northrop Grumman Health
Solutions become a leader in
health IT and was chosen to help
develop a prototype for a new
health information network,
a key step in President Bushs
health careagenda.
In her role at Northrop
Grumman, Kang saw the
opportunity for a major
transformation of the IT
systems used to support health
care in the US. But she also
knew that this transformation
would require companies to
embrace new business models.
The organizations that are in
the best position to accelerate
these trends, Kang says,
have negative incentives to
be ahead of the curve because
they would need to cannibalize
their business. To lead this
transformation, she needed to
start from the ground up.
While the market crash in
2008 didnt give her second
thoughts, it did raise some
significant barriers to financing.
I had wanted to use my home
as collateral, she says, but
the housing market crashed
and lending [for homes and new
businesses] virtually stopped.
Selling her Northrop Grumman stock to fund
the business, Kang started Cognosante above
her homes garage.
Kang made the big bet that the health
care industry would need to change because
of financial pressures brought on by an aging
baby boomer population. She also bet that
Medicaid would be the transformations center
of gravity. Explains Kang, Medicaid is a
fullblown health plan, and all 50 states have
an infrastructure, so it was the best platform to
roll out this transformation.
As an early mover, Cognosante was
wellpositioned to take advantage of the market
trends and provide services to help state and
federal health agencies adopt electronic health
care records for their patients. Cognosante also
3
216
1,500
52
Number of 10-year goals set by Kang

People employed by Cognosante in 2010
People employed by Cognosante today
provides business process outsourcing services and call centers to state

and federal health agencies.
Kang soon targeted a strategic acquisition, joining forces with Fox
Systems, one of the premier companies in the Medicaid consulting
space. They knew everything there is to know about Medicaid and had
an impeccable reputation, she says. After meeting with the founder of
FoxSystems, Kang quickly realized that she bought into my vision.
Once she completed the merger with Fox Systems, Kang had the major
pieces in place to fulfill her vision of leading the transformation in health
care IT. Cognosante has expanded rapidly since 2010, growing from
216employees to more than 1,500. And as the Affordable Care Act,
passed by Congress in 2010, moves forward, Cognosante is poised to
continue enhancing its leadership position.
Despite her success, Kang considers herself an accidental entrepreneur.
I always thought I would be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, she
says, adding that the real stress of starting a company wasnt worrying
about what Id do to support myself, but in realizing that all these people
depended onme.
finalists
Category: Services
Lawrence Janesky
Dr. Setul G. Patel
Abhi Shah
Seymour, CT | Founded: 1990
Pearland, TX | Founded: 2009
Washington, DC | Founded: 2005
Larry Janesky, Founder and CEO of

Basement Systems, started a homebuilding
business after graduating from highschool,
constructing 23 homes by age23.
But when the housing market
crashed in the 1980s, Janesky didnt
have to look far for a new business
opportunity. Instead, he just lowered
his sights, starting a profitable
basementimprovement business that
has since expanded into a nationwide
network of more than 120dealers in its
core waterproofing business. Basement
Systems now provides a full range of
basement waterproofing, crawl space
and structural repair services.
Recognizing the critical role lead
contractors play in successful projects,
Janesky developed a three-phased program
to improve the companys retention rate for
these key employees. As a result, not one
lead contractor has left Basement Systems
in more than 20 years.
In the years since, Janesky has
helped the company secure 31 patents
for homeimprovement and basement
waterproofing technologies.
Sometimes a vision is so strong that an

entrepreneur decides he cant wait for
everything to fall into place.
That was the case for Dr. Setul Patel, who
dreamed of a stand-alone emergency care
center that emphasizes personalized care and
offers patients an emergency care alternative.
In 2009, while the State of Texas was still
developing a licensing mechanism for such
freestanding emergency rooms, he opened
the first Neighbors Emergency Center.
But Dr. Patel and his business partners
also had to overcome significant financing
barriers, resistance from insurance providers
and an ongoing debate in the Texas state
legislature.
They persevered, opening an emergency
care center staffed by board-certified doctors
and featuring around-the-clock coverage.
And the companys culture and focus on
taking care of employees has resulted in low
turnover rates, which helps to improve the
patient experience.
The number of Neighbors Emergency
Centers has expanded from 1 to 12 since
2009, with more than 20 centers expected
by the end of 2016.
After graduating from Harvard Business

School, an education paid for by selling
Bibles for two summers in Alabama, Abhi
Shah was working on a research project that
required him to interview general counsels of
Fortune 500 companies. During the process,
he saw an opportunity to resolve a major
conflict of interest. The general counsels
for large companies were eager to find
cost-effective solutions to their legal issues,
whereas large legal firms were structured to
bill clients for long hours at high rates.
Realizing that certain legal tasks didnt
require expensive, US-based lawyers, Shah
founded Clutch Group as a legal process
outsourcing firm to perform legal research
and other tasks. When the financial crisis of
2008 forced many law firms to significantly
reduce spending, Shah shifted his companys
focus to providing risk and compliance
analytics to support compliance with new
financial regulations.
This pivot helped Clutch Group not only
survive but thrive. The company has since
expanded from one office in Bangalore, India,
to three continents and most of the worlds
leading financial centers.
Basement Systems Inc.

Founder and CEO
Neighbors Health System, Inc.

Clutch Group
Founder & CEO
53
2015 award winners
Venture Capital
Award of Excellence
hree entrepreneurs were selected as recipients of our 10th annual Venture Capital Award
ofExcellence, which recognizes the role that venture capital plays in the US economy and in
thedevelopment of highgrowth, high-impact companies.
Venture capitalists provide more than funding; their knowledge and experience help turn
entrepreneurs vision into reality, lead to the creation of new jobs, and have a profound and growing
impact on the US economy as a whole. Investment levels for the first nine months of 2015 reached
$54.6 billion, already nearly eclipsing the $57.6 billion invested in all of 2014.
Seventy-three of the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015 finalists are from venture-backed companies.
Over the past two years, these VC-backed companies have grown their revenue by 82% and their
workforce by 53%, compared with 32% and 26%, respectively, for the finalists as awhole.
Venture capital firms help grow our economy by funding disruptive companies whose products
and services change the way people work, live and play, says Jeff Grabow, EYs US Venture Capital
Leader. Venture capital firms give these young companies advice, guidance and the ability to scale.
The award is sponsored by SolomonEdwards.
This years judges were: Steve Goldberg, PhD, Operating Partner, Venrock; Richard Heitzmann,
Founder and Managing Director, FirstMarkCapital; Dr.Kim Puloma Kamdar, Partner,
DomainAssociates,L.L.C.; andEvanMorgan, Partner, Revolution Growth.
54
Dr. Richard Heyman

Aragon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Seragon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
CEO
San Diego, CA | Founded: 2009
Looking for proof that a dedicated scientist can become
an innovative entrepreneur? Look no further than
Dr.RichardHeyman.
In 2009, during the depths of the global financial crisis,
Dr.Heyman founded Aragon Pharmaceuticals to develop new
molecular approaches to the treatment of prostate cancer.
Despite a lawsuit against the originator of Aragons pipeline
molecules, The Column Group and OrbiMed Advisors LLC
saw the value in Dr. Heymans fledgling company, investing
$8million in the first product development round.
Not long afterward, Aragons research led to a promising
second opportunity. It began developing therapeutics for
breast cancer as well as prostate cancer. The second product
development round brought in $22 million, with Aisling
Capital joining in.
There would be two additional rounds of funding, with
$42million raised in the third round, led by Topspin Partners,
and $50 million in the fourth round, led by VenBio LLC.
The parallel strategy pursuing two therapeutic paths at
the same time increased the companys burn rate, but the
reward proved to be well worth the risk. By carefully selecting
sale partners for each line of treatment, Dr. Heyman made
sure that both lines would get the development they deserved
while delivering solid value to his investors. Aragon and its
prostate cancer therapies were sold in August 2013; in less
than a year, Seragon Pharmaceuticals, focused on breast
cancer therapies, followed suit. In both cases, the new owners
are well-placed to bring the therapies to market.
And Dr. Heyman? Hes doing what any entrepreneur would
do: raising money for two new ventures. The new companies
will focus on diabetes and cancer. Based on experience,
patients andinvestors have every reason to be excited.
55
Venture Capital Award of Excellence 2015 award winners
Adam Neumann
Marcus Ryu
Foster City, CA | Founded: 2001
Adam Neumann takes the community in business

community seriously. In fact, its the basis of WeWork, which
provides work space, resources and services to innovators
and entrepreneurs in cities across the US.
Neumann and Miguel McKelvey opened the first WeWork
location in New Yorks Soho neighborhood in 2010. Drawing
on his experience at a kibbutz and in the Israeli military,
Neumann sought to build an organization that would provide
its members with not only physical space but also the
camaraderie of a traditional company.
Venture capitalists liked the idea. In five venture capital
rounds, WeWork has attracted a total of $568.9 million from
investors such as T. Rowe Price, Goldman Sachs, Benchmark
Capital and Wellington Management.
The resulting growth WeWork has 29 offices in 13 cities
and 4 countries across the world has brought its share of
challenges, but Adam and his team have proved equal to the
test. In fact, the past year marked a milestone for WeWork as
the company positioned itself for further growth.
WeWork is more than simply a place where people can
work. It truly is a community: more than half of WeWorks
members have collaborated or done business together.
And it is virtual as well as physical. By the end of 2015,
Neumann expects that the number of members connecting
with each other virtually will outnumber those who use its
physicalworkspaces.
In the next several years, Neumann plans to continue
expanding WeWork, adding more cities and increasing the
membership from todays 23,000 to more than 100,000.
As the company scales, it will be able to offer even more to
its members. And its unique business community will keep
ongrowing.
Its fair to say Guidewire is an improbable success story. The

company was founded in late September 2001, when the capital
markets were at a low ebb, on the premise of selling an innovative
product to a very conservative industry.
Today, Guidewire is a leading software provider to property and
casualty insurance companies; in fact, its platform is becoming the
industry standard.
Guidewire has separated itself from its competitors by focusing
on a single industry; by developing symbiotic relationships with
system integration partners, complementary software vendors
and, most important, insurance carriers; and by posting a 100%
customer satisfaction rate. Guidewire is willing to spend its last
dollar to make sure every installation of its software is a success;
not coincidentally, every installation has been successful.
Although venture capital was hard to come by just after the
9/11 attacks Ryu and his partners teamed with friends and
family to start the company with $200,000, and the founders
went 11 months without drawing any pay venture capitalists
soon stepped up to the plate. Three rounds of financing followed,
raising a total of more than $36 million. Bay Partners LLC and
USVP Management Company LLC played a role in all three rounds,
with Gabriel Venture Partners and Battery Ventures joining in the
thirdround.
Guidewire went public in January 2012 and followed that up
with a successful follow-on offering. Marcus and his team plan to
continue their focus on the property and casualty industry, using
their capital for complementary acquisitions in data, analytics and
digital interactions.
With customers in 22 countries, Guidewire has become a truly
global presence. Its goal is to become the dominant property and
casualty insurance software provider around the world a result
that, given Guidewires success, is anything but improbable.
WeWork
Co-Founder and CEO
56

Chief Executive Officer, President and Co-Founder
Defying
all odds
Award winner_Mohed Altrad
President
Altrad Group
France
Founded: 1985
o say that Mohed Altrads early life was harsh would

be an understatement. The President of Altrad Group,
a world leader in construction equipment, was born
in the Syrian Desert to a Bedouin tribe. His mother
died shortly after his birth, and he was raised by a
grandmother who believed that school was for lazy
people so she forbade him fromgoing.
Altrad went nonetheless, spying on what was going
on in the classroom through a hole in the wall until a
teacher allowed him to sit in on the lessons. Helater
studied in Raqqa, Syria, and from there earned a
scholarship to continue his studies in France. He went
Congratulations
to our country
winners
Argentina
Dr. Hugo Sigman

Grupo Insud
Australia
Joe Davenport
Owen Kerr
Pepperstone
Austria
Dr. Werner Thallner

Hermann Waltl
Friedrich Paul Lindner
EV Group GmbH
Belarus
Colombia
Brazil
Croatia
Fernand Huts
Karl Huts
Katoen Natie
Pedro Lima
3coraes Group
Canada
Linda Hasenfratz
Linamar Corporation
Chile
Rolando Carmona
Drillco Tools S.A.
China Hong Kong
Kenneth Lo
Crystal Group
China Mainland
Arkadiy Dobkin
EPAM Systems
58
Belgium
Xiu Laigui
Xiuzheng
Pharmaceutical
Group Co., Ltd.
Gigliola Aycardi
Nicols Loaiza
Bodytech
Alan Sumina
Zoran Vucinic
Nanobit
Czech Republic
Vlastislav Brza
KOH-I-NOOR
holdinga.s.
Denmark
Michael Seifert
Sitecore Corporation
Estonia
Jri Raidla
Raidla Lejins
&Norcous
Finland
Dr. Mikko Wirn

Pihlajalinna Group
France
Mohed Altrad
Altrad Group
Georgia
Mamuka Khazaradze
TBC Bank
Germany
Jan Beckers
HitFox Group GmbH
Hungary
Gyrgy Wberer
Waberers
International Pte. Co.
India
Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla

Serum Institute of
IndiaLtd.
Indonesia
Iwan Setiawan
Lukminto
PT Sri Rejeki Isman
Tbk. (Sritex)
Ireland
Mark Roden
ding*
Israel
Benny Landa
Landa Group
Italy
Oscar Farinetti
Eataly Distribuzione
S.r.l.
Japan
Morio Sase
HotLand Co., Ltd.
EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015

on to obtain a PhD in ComputerScience and worked for large
entrepreneurs around the world. As Rebecca MacDonald,
companies in various roles for about 15 years.
Executive Chair of Just Energy Group and Chair of the World
But in his heart, Altrad had always been an entrepreneur.
Entrepreneur Of The Year judging panel, said, Mohed has built
So in 1985, together with an English partner, he bought
a hugely successful, fast-growing international business having
a nearly bankrupt maker of
overcome a humble
scaffolding to form the basis of
and very challenging
Altrad Group. Thirty years on,
upbringing. The judges
the company is a world leader in
were impressed by his
cement mixers and the European
ability to build and sustain
leader in scaffolding and
growth over 30years
wheelbarrows. TheAltrad Group
and by his humility
today employs 17,000 people
andcharacter.
in 110subsidiaries around
Altrad places great
theworld.
emphasis on sharing with
Altrad places the individual
his employees his own
Number of people
at the center of his company
personal values: loyalty
employed by AltradGroup
and advocates multiculturalism
and integrity, trust and
and respect for diversity. He
passion, respect for
Number of subsidiaries
sleeps very little, so by night
differences and cultures,
around the world
he writes books. His partly
humanism and the quest
autobiographical novel, Badawi,
toexcel.
is now taught in some French schools as part of the literature
Im so honored to receive this prestigious award, especially
curriculum. In March 2015, Forbes magazine devoted six
as there was such strong competition from such outstanding
pages to Altrad, who has become a member of the Forbes
entrepreneurs around the world, Altrad said. I would like to
BillionairesList.
dedicate this award to my family and all the people within the
At the 2015 award ceremony in Monaco, EY Global Chairman
organization, without whom the success of Altrad Group would
& CEO Mark A. Weinberger called Altrad an inspiration to
not be possible.
Mohed has built a hugely successful,

fastgrowing international business
having overcome a humble and very
challengingupbringing.
2,600
100
Jordan
Dr. Thaer Darwish

Khaled Darwish
Bashar Zawaideh
Sindbad Group
Mexico
Peru
Netherlands
Poland
Sergio Argelles
FINSA
Andrey Lavrentyev
AllurGroup
Willem Blijdorp
Bert Meulman
B&S
InternationalB.V.
Kenya
New Zealand
Korea
Nigeria
Kazakhstan
Dr. Simon Gicharu

Mount Kenya
University
Dong Nyung Kim
HANSAE YES24
HOLDINGS
Malaysia
Peng Ooi Goh

Silverlake Axis Ltd.
Dan Radcliffe
International
VolunteerHQ
Jubril Adewale Wale
Tinubu
Oando PLC
Norway
Geir Skaala
Norsafe AS
Rosario Bazn
DanPer
Adam Krzanowski
Nowy Styl Group
Romania
Singapore
Dr. Kar Wong

The Advanced Group
of Companies
Slovak Republic
Lateefa AlWaalan
Yatooq Coffee
Serbia
Boo Jankovic
Enterijer
JankovicLtd.
Otto Fritz Hofstetter

Otto Hofstetter AG
Taiwan
James Wang
Alexander Varga
Sercomm
Eva Stejskalov
Corporation
MicroStep, spol. s r.o.
Mircea Tudor
MB Telecom Ltd. SRL South Africa
Asher Bohbot
Russia
EOH
Alexey Evgenievich
Spain
Repik
Ernesto Antoln Arribas
R-Pharm
Grupo Antoln
Saudi Arabia
Switzerland
Sweden
Sebastian
Siemiatkowski
Victor Jacobsson
Niklas Adalberth
Klarna AB
United Kingdom
Rosemary Squire
Ambassador Theatre
Group
United States
Dr. David Hung

Medivation
Uruguay
John Christian Schandy

SCHANDY
Vietnam
Vu Phuoc Le
Hoa Sen Group
59
With research, support, and education for entrepreneurs, the

Kauffman Foundation is devoted to putting entrepreneurship
on the map. We seek to advance the state of startups from
coast to coast and everywhere in between.
Congratulations to all EY Entrepreneur Of The Year candidates
for creating jobs, growing companies, and strengthening the
economy of the United States of Entrepreneurship.
Proud national sponsor of the
EY Entrepreneur Of The Year awards
since 1997.
EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women
Growing
to scale
The Entrepreneurial Winning Women
Class of 2015 is improving the way
we live and work.
heres nothing like a good business idea, and women have

them in abundance. In the US alone, they start companies
at one-and-a-half times the rate of men and are at least
half-owners of nearly 50% of privately held firms. Yet
fewer companies started by women scale up to the degree
theycould.
We know the potential of women-owned businesses is
limitless if they have access to the right support, talent and
knowledge. Thats why we started the EY Entrepreneurial
Winning Women Program eight years ago in the US to
help founding women CEOs connect with the advice and
resources they need to accelerate and sustain growth. And
its why we have since expanded its range to reach women
entrepreneurs in more than 30 countries.
As both an annual competition and an executive leadership
program, Entrepreneurial Winning Women identifies
business owners with scalable companies and invites
them to join a community of their peers while providing
access to EY leaders as well as an influential network of
entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors and advisors.
Program participants also meet potential business partners,
customers and suppliers. This accelerated access typically
takes years to achieve, if it is achievable at all.
We build upon our time-tested five ways to win,
adistillation of what all entrepreneurs need to do to scale:

think big and be bold; build a public profile; work on the
business, not in the business; establish key advisory networks;
and evaluate financing for expansion. The entrepreneurs also
benefit from learning how to stay true to their purpose and to
evolve in their leadership roles as their companies scale.
The results are outstanding, with participation in the
program spurring substantial growth. Companies typically
see a significant increase in revenue after their leaders are
selected. A recent study indicates that, as a group, participant
companies total revenues were 63% higher since joining the
program, and individual participants average 20% revenue
growth annually.
The members of the North America Entrepreneurial
Winning Women Class of 2015 are revolutionizing
pointofsale systems and developing tools to access and
measure the power of the brain. Theyve redesigned the
luxury spa and figured out how to reduce hiring cycle times.
They are listed among the fastest-growing companies in the
US and Canada and stand at the helms of some of the most
promising businesses in the world.
Imagine an economy where women-led companies grow
to their full potential. We can, and so can the women on the
following pages. Congratulations to them all!
61
Meet the Entrepreneurial Winning Women

Class of 2015
Claudia
Mirza
Nikki
Barua
Jody Greenstone Susan

Miller
Catalano
Aneela
Zaib
Rachel
Mielke
Akorbi
BeyondCurious
Hillberg & Berk
Los Angeles, CA
Founded: 2011
Business
Talent Group
EmergiTEL Inc.
Plano, TX
Founded: 2005
Richmond Hill,
Ontario
Founded: 2006
Regina,
Saskatchewan
Founded: 2007
emergiTEL is
a fullsolution
provider for staffing,
outsourcing, consulting
and training services in
the Canadian telecom
and IT marketplace.
The company operates
as an extension of
its clients human
Since its founding,

Hillberg & Berk has
grown into one of
Canadas foremost
luxury jewelry brands,
sold at 25 retailers
across the country,
online and in the
companys two stores
in Regina. Its designs
Since it was founded

a decade ago, Akorbi
has evolved from a
homebased translation
business into a
multimilliondollar
company providing
language, technology
and staffing services
around the world. Its
BeyondCurious, an
innovation agency
specializing in mobile
experiences, aims to
help market leaders
and disrupters innovate
better and faster than
their competition.
In the few years
since it was founded,
Pacific Palisades, CA
Founded: 2007
Business Talent Group

is a marketplace that
brings businesses
and top talent
together outside
of the traditional
full-time framework.
The company, with its
roster of more than
4,000 professionals,
Cognition
Therapeutics
(CogRx)
Pittsburgh, PA
Founded: 2007
CogRx is a small
molecule therapeutics
company focused on
the discovery and
development of drugs
for neurodegenerative
diseases. Its research
into blocking toxic
proteins that cause
progressive memory
Thank you to our distinguished panel of judges who worked tirelessly to identify the best among a field of exceptional applicants:
Mike Cohen, Managing General Partner, VG Partners; Sarah Kauss, Founder and CEO, Swell (and a member of the Entrepreneurial
Winning Women Class of 2014); Christina Lampe-nnerud, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Cadenza Innovation, LLC (formerly Founder
and CEO, Boston-Power); and Steve Streit, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Green Dot Corporation.
success has been in
leveraging technology
and developing
business processes to
simplify the translation
system, reduce
costs and increase
speedtomarket.
Thecompany has been
growing aggressively
in the past few
years and counts
among its clients
the US Department
of Agriculture, the
US Department of
Homeland Security and
many FORTUNE 500
companies.
62
BeyondCurious has
established itself as
a significant force in
Los Angeles, with a
premier, recognizable
client roster that
spans the market.
Itwas recently voted
Boutique Agency of
the Year by marketing
collaborative thinkLA.
BeyondCurious
philosophy is
Innovation @ Speed,
employing Silicon
Valley techniques for
rapid results.
has now served 25% of

the FORTUNE 1000 as
well as top equity firms
and major nonprofits.
Business Talent Group
was recently named
by Forbes as one of
the most promising
companies in America.
In this high-growth
emerging market, the
company has grown
over 60% annually for
the past three years.
loss has resulted in

a lead program in
Alzheimers disease
set to begin clinical
trials by the end of
2015. There are
currently no drugs
on the market that
halt the progression
of the disease, and
the company is
poised to become
amarketleader.
resources structure by
sourcing hardtofind
IT personnel and
partnering with clients
for a hires entire
life cycle. In a short
period, the company
has become a market
leader, and based on
projected job growth
in the IT sector and
among independent
contractors, emergiTEL
is wellplaced to
continue its
expansion.
have been spotted

on Michelle Obama,
Carrie Underwood
and Celine Dion, and
in 2013 Rachel Mielke
was commissioned to
design a brooch for
Queen ElizabethII.
The company
differentiates itself by
being a female-driven
and femalefocused
company, giving a
minimum 2.5% of
profits to charities
that benefit women
aroundthe world.
$136m
1,400
EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women
Amount in sales this group

generated in 2014
Number of workers this group
provided jobs for
Ariel
Garten
Leah
Garrad-Cole
Alissa
Bayer
Lisa
Falzone
Michelle
Vondrasek
Anne
Wagner
InteraXon Inc.
Love Child Organics
milk + honey
Revel Systems
Whistler,
BritishColumbia
Founded: 2011
Austin, TX
Founded: 2006
San Francisco, CA
Founded: 2010
Von Technologies,
LLC
WaveStrike, LLC
Toronto,
Ontario
Founded: 2009
InteraXon launched
as a service-oriented
company producing
brain-sensing
experiences for
companies such as
Microsoft. In 2014,
the companys
signature product
Muse, a headband
Love Child Organics

was founded in 2011
to offer parents an
organic and nutritious
alternative to the
ready-made food for
babies and young
children commonly
available in stores.
Thecompanys mission
milk + honey is an
award-winning day
spa and salon, with
five Texas locations
and another under
construction. It
is also a brand of
organic bath and body
products sold in its
salons and at retailers
Revel Systems has

created a pointofsale
platform using
cloudbased iPad
technology to replace
the clunky, inefficient
cash registers of
the past. Extending
beyond the customer
transaction, the
Oakbrook, IL
Founded: 2006
Von Technologies
is anIT services
corporation
focused on network
infrastructure, unified
communications,
wireless networks and
cabling. Its services
portfolio encompasses
the network life cycle
Crownsville, MD
Founded: 2011
WaveStrike
provides custom
software application
development services
to the intelligence
community and the US
Department of Defense.
Its software analytics,
cloud solutions
and cybersecurity
This extraordinary group of 12 entrepreneurs

averages $11.3million in sales and 115 employees.
that measures the
electrical activity of
the brain using EEG
sensors, entered
the market. Muse
sends brainfitness
information to a
smartphone or tablet
app that can be used
to promote relaxation
and focus. More than
75institutions now
use Muse as a tool to
work with PTSD, ADHD,
pain management
andanxiety.
is not only to leave

out the bad stuff
(preservatives, fillers
and sugars), but also
to include as many
nutritionally dense
ingredients as possible.
Love Child Organics
started selling in
Canada in 2013 and
a year later in the
US. Itsproducts are
currently available in
more than 2,000 stores
in Canada and 1,500
inthe US.
such as Whole Foods

Market, with which
it has one instore
co-branded spa. The
companys focus is on
creating a relaxing,
designforward
environment, with
passionate staff and
all natural, organic
ingredients. It was
recently voted Best
Spa in The Austin
Chronicle Best of
AustinReadersPoll.
Revel platform acts

as a central nervous
system for businesses,
offering a full suite of
features from payment
processing topersonnel
scheduling and
inventory management.
Thesystem can
be tailored across
industries, and its
10,000 terminals
so far deployed are
with companies such
as Goodwill, Little
Caesars Pizza and the
San Jose Giants.
from planning and

consultation, to design
and deployment,
to optimization and
support. The company
prides itself on being
creative, nimble
and flexible based
on customer needs.
Clients include AT&T,
Hilton Hotels and Ford
Motor Company. It was
recognized in 2015 by
the Women Presidents
Organization as one of
the 50 Fastest-Growing
Women-Owned/Led
Companies inAmerica.
applications aid its

clients in the defense
of national security.
The company was
conceived in part to
bridge a gender gap
in a predominantly
male industry, and
since its founding
four years ago, it
has already made an
impact and experienced
significantgrowth.
63
Building futures
together
2015 Ernst & Young LLP. All Rights Reserved. ED none.
EY is proud to support the Network for

Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) in
its efforts to help young people achieve
their potential through education and
entrepreneurship. In addition to raising
more than $1m for youth scholarships,
EY professionals sit on NFTE boards,
mentor students and judge business
plan competitions.
Investing in the next generation of
entrepreneurs its one way were
building a better working world.
Visit ey.com/us/nfte
We work with the worlds

leading organizations to
create places that amplify the
performance of their people,
teams and enterprise.
Find out how EYs 7 Drivers of Growth can help

your business grow from challenger to leader.
ey.com/acceleratinggrowth #BetterQuestions
2015 EYGM Limited. All Rights Reserved. ED 0916.
Whats the
right path to
accelerate your
growth journey?
This year, accelerate.

Next year, celebrate!
Exceptional | EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Special Edition | November 2015
Join us next year at the EY Strategic Growth Forum

as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the EY
Entrepreneur Of The Year Program. The 2016 gala
will be the culmination of a year of highlighting great
entrepreneurs of the past, present and future those
who have had an impact on how we live our lives, build
our communities and operate our businesses.
November 1620 | Palm Springs, California
2015 Ernst & Young LLP. All Rights Reserved. ED 1116
ey.com/us/sgf #BetterQuestions

2015 - Entrepreneur of The Year

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

2015 - Entrepreneur of The Year

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Exceptional

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Special Edition

Entrepreneurship + Innovation = Growth

Founded and produced by

Cover photography Courtesy of Arista Networks

Managing Editor Amy Koeppl

Honoring those whove propelled

Exceptional Special Edition November 2015

Keith R. Dunleavy, MD,

Eric Dee Long,

David Royce, Alterra

Robert M. Beall, Bealls, Inc.

Real Estate, Hospitality

We had to go from a start-up phase to

Call for 2016

EY | Assurance | Tax | Transactions | Advisory

Exceptional Special Edition November 2015

hether you woke up today with plans to work, bank,

Some of the Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni we will

The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni form the

2011 Reid Hoffman

2008 Matthew Szulik

2007 Isaac Larian

Exceptional Special Edition November 2015

2005 Arthur M. Blank

2002 Jeno F. Paulucci

1998 Edward Iacobucci

2001 Dr. Phillip Frost

1997 Jack Taylor

2000 Scott Kriens

1995 Allen Breed

1994 Robert Basham,

1991 Cecil Ursprung

Exceptional Special Edition November 2015

2015 Ernst & Young LLP. All Rights Reserved. ED 1116

To request nomination materials, call

Exceptional Special Edition November 2015

Overall award winners

Award winner_Andy Bechtolsheim

Exceptional Special Edition November 2015

Five years ago, 90% of networking gear was sold through

Exceptional Special Edition November 2015

This self-imposed incubation period enabled Bechtolsheim

had founded, Granite Systems, which was later bought by Cisco.

The cloud will expand to storage, virtualization and security.

savvy in their own right and eager to use cloud computing

data centers. By 2016, half of all networking will go through

Exceptional Special Edition November 2015

Keith R. Dunleavy, MD Keith Krach

San Francisco, CA | Founded: 2003

Foster City, CA | Founded: 2001

Bowie, MD | Founded: 1998

When Keith Krach joined DocuSign, the

When Marcus Ryu cofounded Guidewire

The health care industry is awash with data

Guidewire Software, Inc.

Exceptional Special Edition November 2015

If I was going to do business with one of the best

Exceptional Special Edition November 2015

I interview every single person were thinking

That taught me an important lesson,

Exceptional Special Edition November 2015

Sterling Heights, MI | Founded: 2000

2011 Reid Hoffman

2008 Matthew Szulik

2007 Isaac Larian

2005 Arthur M. Blank

2002 Jeno F. Paulucci

1998 Edward Iacobucci

2001 Dr. Phillip Frost

1997 Jack Taylor

2000 Scott Kriens

1995 Allen Breed

1994 Robert Basham,

1991 Cecil Ursprung