Finalists Announced for Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year(R) Award

Award Recipients to Be Announced at the Awards Banquet on June 23rd

CHICAGO, May 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Professional services firm Ernst & Young
LLP announced today the finalists for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The
Year(R) 2005 Awards in Illinois. An independent panel of judges comprised of
local community and business leaders selected the 31 finalist companies. Among
the 31 finalist companies, award recipients will be announced in several
categories at an awards banquet on June 23rd at Navy Pier in Chicago.

Illinois finalists for Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year are:

-- Richard W. Blaudow, Chief Operating Officer of Advanced Technology
Services, Inc. in Peoria
-- John M. Schultz, CEO of Agracel, Inc. in Effingham
-- Steven Leturno and Daniel Lisowski, Co-Founders of AIT Worldwide
Logistics, Inc. in Itasca
-- Leonard H. Lavin, Chairman Emeritus of Alberto-Culver in Melrose Park
-- Robert L. Riter, Chairman of American Chartered Bank in Schaumburg
-- Greg Wittstock, Owner & CEO of Aquascape Designs, Inc. in Batavia
-- Scott M. Rosenbach, President of BCI Acrylic Bath Systems, Inc. in
Palatine
-- Martin Cabrera, Jr., President of Cabrera Capital Markets, Inc. in
Chicago
-- Donald R. McNeeley, President & COO of Chicago Tube and Iron Co. in
Chicago
-- Gian M. Fulgoni, Chairman and Co-Founder of comScore Networks in
Chicago
-- Matthew Moog, President and CEO of CoolSavings, Inc. in Chicago
-- Jim Reid-Anderson, Chairman of Dade Behring, Inc. in Deerfield
-- Michael L. Silver, President and CEO of Equis Corporation in Chicago
-- Craig T. Bouchard, Co-Chairman & President and James P. Bouchard, Co-
Chairman & CEO of Esmark Inc. in Chicago Heights
-- Gwen C. Duncan-James, President & CEO of Gareda Nursing and Homemaker
Services in Calumet City
-- Robert Ontiveros, CEO of Group O Direct in Milan
-- H. Dale Smith, Jr., President & CEO of H.D. Smith Wholesale Drug Co. in
Springfield
-- Rainer Martens, Founder & President of Human Kinetics in Champaign
-- Dennis E. Abboud, President & CEO of Infinity Resources, Inc. in Itasca
-- Douglas M. Zell, CEO of Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea, Inc. in Chicago
-- Raymond Spencer, Chairman of Kanbay International, Inc. in Rosemont
-- Joesph Bozich, CEO of Knights Apparel, Inc. in Oak Brook
-- Jill D. Hebert, CEO/Owner of Matrex Exhibits, Inc. in Addison
-- Meryl J. Squires, President/CEO of Merix Pharmaceutical Corporation in
Barrington
-- Lori Eshoo, President & CEO of National Tax Search LLC in Chicago
-- Judson C. Green, President & CEO of NAVTEQ Corporation in Chicago
-- Michael S. Silver, Partner of Omnios LLC in Buffalo Grove
-- Kenneth M. Orlando, President of Promark International, Inc. in
Bartlett
-- Mike Balogh, CEO, Jon Bos, EVP and Mike Kent, President of PromoWorks,
LLC in Schaumburg
-- Marsha Serlin, President & CEO of United Scrap Metal Inc. in Chicago
-- Katrina Markoff, President/CEO of Vosges Haut-Chocolat in Chicago


Illinois award recipients will be eligible for consideration for the Ernst
& Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2005 national program. Award recipients in
several national categories, as well as one overall award recipient, will be
announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, Calif. in November 2005.

About The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year(R) Program
The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Program was created and is
produced by professional services firm Ernst & Young LLP. As the first award
of its kind, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year recognizes outstanding
entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic and growing businesses.
The program honors entrepreneurs through regional, national and global award
programs in over 100 cities and 35 countries.
Contact Ana-Liza Quirolgico of Ernst & Young at 312-879-3799 or
analiza.quirolgico@ey.com to make reservations for the awards banquet. Tickets
are $175 per person. For more information about the awards program, visit
http://www.ey.com/us/eoy .
Founded and produced by Ernst & Young, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards
is nationally sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Clifton
Gunderson LLP, Comcast Spotlight, Smart Business Chicago, the Chicagoland
Entrepreneurial Center, and Microsoft are the Illinois sponsors. Recipients of
the Entrepreneur Of The Year award become lifetime members of the Entrepreneur
Of The Year Hall of Fame.

About Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young, a global leader in professional services, is committed to
restoring the public's trust in professional services firms and in the quality
of financial reporting. Its 100,000 people in more than 140 countries around
the globe pursue the highest levels of integrity, quality, and professionalism
to provide clients with solutions based on financial, transactional, and risk-
management knowledge in Ernst & Young's core services of Audit, Tax, and
Transaction Advisory Services. Ernst & Young practices also provide legal
services in some parts of the world where permitted. Further information
about Ernst & Young and its approach to a variety of business issues can be
found at http://www.ey.com/perspectives . Ernst & Young refers to all the
members of the global Ernst & Young organization.

Ernst & Young
Web Site: http://www.ey.com/perspectives

 

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