Press release
05 May 2022  | Pittsburgh, PA, US

EY Announces Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2022 East Central Finalists

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EY Americas

Multidisciplinary professional services organization

Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced the finalists for the Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2022 East Central Award. The East Central program celebrates entrepreneurs from Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Northeast and South-Central Ohio and Kentucky. Entrepreneur Of The Year is one of the preeminent competitive business awards for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies who think big to succeed.

The 2022 East Central finalists are:

  • Mike Zelkind | 80 Acres Farms | Hamilton, Ohio
  • Scott Arias | ACE Consulting Company, LLC | Nicholasville, Kentucky
  • Mike Carrel  | AtriCure, Inc. | Mason, Ohio
  • Ilya Bodner | Bold Penguin | Columbus, Ohio
  • Ralph Andretta | Bread Financial | Columbus, Ohio
  • Kevin Brock | Brock Air Products | Troy, Ohio
  • Tyler Jury | Clayton & Crume | Louisville, Kentucky
  • Drew Anderson | Cleveland Kitchen | Cleveland, Ohio
  • Jeff Schneid | Diversified Fall Protection | Westlake, Ohio
  • Jeff Smith | Elite Biomedical Solutions, LLC | Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Jeremy Young | Federal Resources Corporation | Erie, Pennsylvania
  • Vamsi Kora | Gathi Analytics, LLC | Dublin, Ohio
  • Nick Bartel and Hayden Cardiff | Idelic | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Evan Pohaski | JLE Industries | Homestead, Pennsylvania
  • Jack Brendamour | Junk King Cincinnati, Dayton & Louisville | Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Kristy Knichel | Knichel Logistics | Gibsonia, Pennsylvania
  • Rob Strobel | Lithko Contracting, LLC | West Chester, Ohio
  • Vivek Gupta | Mastech Digital | Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
  • Mickey Shimp | Mix Talent LLC | Columbus, Ohio
  • Andy Lonsberry | Path Robotics, Inc | Columbus, Ohio
  • Stephen Ritchey | Ritchey Metals Company, Inc. | Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
  • Jeff McIlroy and Rob McIlroy | Robroy Industries | Verona, Pennsylvania
  • Mike Schroeder | Roundstone Management Ltd. | Lakewood, Ohio
  • Nate Morris | Rubicon | Lexington, Kentucky
  • Corey Head | Sky Quest | Cleveland, Ohio
  • Steve Peplin | Talan Products, Inc. | Cleveland, Ohio
  • Abdul Akel | T-CETRA | Dublin, Ohio
  • William Schumacher | Uprising Food, Inc. | Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Scott Drake | ViewRay, Inc. | Oakwood Village, Ohio
  • Mario Sinicariello and Pat Finley | Vitalia | Solon, Ohio                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

“The 2022 Entrepreneur Of The Year finalists have shown us that ambition, courage, ingenuity and empathy are key to driving change,” said Mike Denove, East Central Program Director. “They have a mindset that drives them to strive for more and an unwavering commitment to their companies, customers and communities.”The finalists were selected by a panel of independent judges and evaluated based on their demonstration of long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact, among other core contributions and attributes.

Regional award winners will be announced on June 16, 2022. The winners will then be considered by the National judges for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, which will be presented in November at the annual Strategic Growth Forum®, one of the nation’s most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award in June 2023.

For over 35 years, EY US has celebrated the unstoppable entrepreneurs who are building a more equitable, sustainable and prosperous world for all. The Entrepreneur Of The Year program has recognized more than 10,000 US executives since its inception in 1986.

Entrepreneur Of The Year Award winners have exclusive, ongoing access to the experience, insight and wisdom of fellow alumni and other members of the entrepreneurial community in over 60 countries — all supported by vast EY resources.

For information on the Entrepreneur Of The Year East Central program, please visit ey.com/us/eoy/ec.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are presented by PNC Bank. In East Central, sponsors also include Valuation Research Corporation, Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP, and Frost Brown Todd LLC.

About Entrepreneur Of The Year®

Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world’s most prestigious business awards program for unstoppable entrepreneurs. These visionary leaders deliver innovation, growth and prosperity that transform our world. The program engages entrepreneurs with insights and experiences that foster growth. It connects them with their peers to strengthen entrepreneurship around the world. Entrepreneur Of The Year is the first and only truly global awards program of its kind. It celebrates entrepreneurs through regional and national awards programs in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries. National overall winners go on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ title. ey.com/us/eoy

About EY Private

As Advisors to the ambitious™, EY Private professionals possess the experience and passion to support private businesses and their owners in unlocking the full potential of their ambitions. EY Private teams offer distinct insights born from the long EY history of working with business owners and entrepreneurs. These teams support the full spectrum of private enterprises including private capital managers and investors and the portfolio businesses they fund, business owners, family businesses, family offices and entrepreneurs. Visit ey.com/us/private

About EY

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Ernst & Young LLP is a client-serving member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited operating in the US.

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.