[April 26, 2013] Ernst & Young Names Entrepreneur of the Year 2013 Finalists in the Upper Midwest Region Tweet Apr 26, 2013 (Close-Up Media via COMTEX) -- Ernst & Young announced the finalists for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2013 Award in the Upper Midwest region. According to a release, the awards program recognizes high-growth entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. These 29 finalists were selected from 61 nominations by a panel of independent judges. Award winners will be announced at a special gala event on June 13, at the Minneapolis Marriott City Center. At the gala, in addition to recognizing the regional finalists, Randall Hogan, chairman and CEO of Pentair, will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement award. Finalists are: -Apex Information Technologies - Brian Kueppers (St. Paul, Minn.) -Augeo Marketing - David Kristal (St. Paul, Minn.) -Code 42 Software - Matthew Dornquast (Minneapolis, Minn.) -Coolibar, Inc. - John Barrow (St. Louis Park, Minn.) -Fabcon - Michael LeJeune (Savage, Minn.) -Foster Group, Inc. - Jerry Foster (West Des Moines, Iowa) -G&K Services, Inc. - Douglas Milroy (Minnetonka, Minn.) -Gardner Builders - Bob Gardner (Minneapolis, Minn.) -Genova Technologies - Dawn Ainger (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) -Hayneedle Inc. - Doug Nielsen (Omaha, Neb.) -Hot Mama - Megan Tamte (Edina, Minn.) -Intertech, Inc. - Thomas Salonek (Eagan, Minn.) -Involta - Bruce Lehrman (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) -JAMF Software - Christopher Pearson and Richard Halmstad (Minneapolis, Minn.) -KLN Family Brands - Kenny Nelson (Perham, Minn.) -LightEdge Solutions, Inc. - Jim Masterson (Des Moines, Iowa) -MBI Energy Services, Inc. - James Arthaud (Belfield, North Dakota) -Metropolitan Transportation Network, Inc. - Tashitaa Tufaa (Fridley, Minn.) -Milk Specialties Global - David Lenzmeier (Eden Prairie, Minn.) -Omaha Steaks International, Inc. - Bruce Simon (Omaha, Neb.) -Pawn America - Brad Rixmann (Burnsville, Minn.) -ReconRobotics, Inc. - Alan Bignall (Edina, Minn.) -Renters Warehouse - Brenton Hayden (Minnetonka, Minn.) -Rock Communications and Colorfx - Jon Troen (Newton, Iowa) -Spray Control Systems, Inc. - Craig Kruckeberg (Blooming Prairie, Minn.) -The Nerdery - Mike Derheim (Minneapolis, Minn.) -The Scoular Company - Marshall Faith (Omaha, Neb.) -Vomela - Thomas Auth (St. Paul, Minn.) Award winners in several national categories, as well as the National Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Overall Award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, Calif., on Nov. 16. The Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored by SAP America and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. In the Upper Midwest region, local sponsors include Padilla Speer Beardsley, Faegre Baker Daniels and Twin Cities Business. Locally, the program is sponsored by Lockton Companies, Pohlad Companies and Salo. Event information: 612-341-4747 or [email protected]. ((Comments on this story may be sent to [email protected])) [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]