ENTREPRENEURS - August 2004
by Dave Calzi

'Pushing the Envelope'
Conference challenges women to go upward, onward

The professional services firm of Ernst & Young LLP has announced the 2004 winners of the Entrepreneur of the Year award for the Southern Ohio and Kentucky region.

The award 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.

The recipients were selected by an independent panel of judges comprised of local community and business leaders in the following categories:

Distribution: Kenneth G. Oaks and Ryan Legg, Total Quality Logistics, Inc., (Cincinnati, OH). This freight brokerage company provides service 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year to its client base, using cutting-edge technology to ensure on-time and on-quality delivery.

Manufacturing: James Kirchdorfer, Jr., ISCO Industries, LLC (Louisville, KY). Kirchdorfer operates a HDPE piping company and has successfully grown it through acquisition and expansion across Kentucky and the U.S.

Media/Marketing: Ken Lowe, The E.W. Scripps Company (Cincinnati, OH). After coming up with the concept of “Home and Garden Television” (HGTV), Lowe built Scripps Network, a cable television network, into one of the nation’s fastest-growing and unique brands for television and the Internet.

Michael J. Burke Award for Supporter of Entrepreneurship: Robert Saunders, Chrysalis Ventures (Louisville, KY). Saunders is dedicated to entrepreneurs as evidenced by having founded the African American Venture Capital Fund, the Venture Club of Louisville and serving as the chair and organizer of the 2003 Great Midwest Venture Capital Conference.

Realizing Business Potential: Jeff Amrein, John Reinhart, Ed Kenney and Jim Orms, Advanced Imaging Concepts, Inc., (Louisville, KY). Serving the medical community, AIC’s document imaging systems allow its customers to operate paperless offices and to electronically write and document prescriptions.

Retail: Matt Thornton, Thorntons, Inc. (Louisville, KY). Strategic partnerships with the right brands, combined with items at the right price has helped Thorntons achieve growth and success across Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Connecticut.

Services: Jerry Clum, CK Franchising, Inc./Comfort Keepers (Dayton, OH). Comfort Keepers provides daily living assistance to senior citizens, preventing premature moves to nursing homes facilities. CK Franchising provides in-home care to thousands across the U.S. and Canada.

Socially Responsible: Michael Davis and Douglas Cobb, Appriss (Louisville, KY). Known for creating the VINE system to alert victims of prison releases. The company has significantly expanded its reach and is the nation’s leading automated victim notification solution.

Technology: Thomas Nies, Cincom Systems, Inc. (Cincinnati, OH). Cincom is a software pioneer, as evidenced by being named the first software firm to produce a database management system, the first American software firm to recognize international markets, and the first single vendor to be selected by the U.S. government as a standard for government agencies.

Master: Wade Thompson, Thor Industries, Inc. (Jackson Center, OH). Thor is the world’s largest RV and small- to mid-size bus manufacturer. A cancer survivor, Thompson had a $300,000 Airstream RV designed and built to offer free prostate screenings. To date, the vehicle has traveled 125,000-plus miles and will provide its 30,000th screening in 2004.

Now in its 18th year, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award is widely considered the world's most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The award honors entrepreneurs who inspire others with their vision, leadership, and achievement.

Each year, over 3,000 nominations are received around the country. From those nominations, roughly 350 Entrepreneur of the Year winners are chosen by independent panels of judges in 35 regions across the U.S.

Southern Ohio and Kentucky award recipients are now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur of the Year 2004 national program. Award recipients in several national categories, as well as the overall national Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, Calif., in November. The overall national Entrepreneur of the Year award winner is then considered for the world event held in Monte Carlo.


Dave Calzi is a partner in the audit division of the Ernst & Young Louisville, Kentucky office
editorial@lanereport.com

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