EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2016 Orange County Semifinalists Announced

IRVINE, Calif. - April 8, 2016 - PRLog -- EY today announced semifinalists for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year^® 2016 Awards in Orange County and the Inland Empire.

Now celebrating its 30th year, the awards program recognizes entrepreneurs in more than 145 cities in 60 countries who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. The business leaders noted below were selected as semifinalists by a panel of independent judges composed of local business leaders, including past winners.

The finalists will be announced on Monday, May 23. Winners will be announced at a formal awards gala at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, Calif., on Friday, June 17, with more than 500 founders, CEOs and other business leaders in attendance.

The semifinalists are:

·         Accurate Background | David Dickerson, CEO | Irvine

·         Ad Exchange Group | Peter Nguyen, Founder & CEO | Irvine

·         Agile Sourcing Partners | Maria Thompson, President & CEO | Corona

·         Airwolf 3D | Erick Wolf, Founder | Costa Mesa

·         American Technologies, Inc. | Gary Moore, President | Orange

·         Athletes First | Brian Murphy, President | Laguna Hills

·         Autobytel Inc. | Jeffrey Coats, President & CEO | Irvine

·         Banc of California | Steven Sugarman, CEO; and Jeffrey Seabold, Chief Banking Officer | Irvine

·         Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire | Melissa Beck, CEO | Santa Ana

·         CrowdStrike | George Kurtz, Co-founder, President & CEO | Irvine

·         Cylance Inc. | Stuart McClure, President & CEO | Irvine

·         Global Cash Card | Michael Purcell, Founder, Executive VP & Chief Marketing Officer | Irvine

·         Gravity Pro Consulting | Sylvana Coche, Founder & CEO | San Clemente

·         Greenwave Systems | Martin Manniche, Founder, Chairman & CEO | Irvine

·         Hub Construction Specialties, Inc. | Robert Gogo, CEO | San Bernardino

·         Illuminate Education | Lane Rankin, Founder & CEO | Irvine

·         Kareo, Inc. | Dan Rodrigues, Founder, & CEO | Irvine

·         MobilityWare, Inc. | Jeff Erle, CEO | Irvine

·         New American Funding | Rick Arvielo, Co-founder & CEO and Patty Arvielo, Co-founder & President | Tustin

·         Orgain, Inc. | Andrew Abraham, CEO | Irvine

·         Pedego Electric Bikes | Donald DiCostanzo, CEO | Irvine

·         Preferred Hotels & Resorts | Lindsey Ueberroth, President & CEO | Newport Beach

·         Proove Biosciences | Brian Meshkin, CEO | Irvine

·         Salas O'Brien | Darin Anderson, CEO | Santa Ana

·         Smartstop Self Storage | H. Michael Schwartz, Chairman & CEO | Ladera Ranch

·         Stance | Jeff Kearl, Chairman & CEO | San Clemente

·         The Bascom Group, LLC | Jerome Fink and David Kim, Managing Partners | Irvine

To attend the gala or learn more about the Orange County program, please visit www.ey.com/us/eoy/ocor contact Jessica Williams at(949) 437-0718 or jessica.williams@ey.com.

Join the conversation on social media by following us @EY_EOYUS and using #EOYOC.

Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year national program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall National Award winner, will be announced at the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards gala in Palm Springs, Calif., on Nov. 19, 2016. The awards are the culminating event of the EY Strategic Growth Forum^®, the nation's most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies. The U.S. Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall Award winner then competes for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award in Monaco, June 2017.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored by SAP Americas, Merrill Corporation and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The Orange County EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are sponsored by Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth, Hollencrest Capital Management, Lockton Companies, Smart Business, Tangram, Woodruff-Sawyer & Company, and HKA, Inc. Marketing Communications.

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About EY Entrepreneur Of The Year^®

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world's most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The unique award makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries.

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EY's Strategic Growth Markets (SGM) practices guide leading high-growth companies. Our multidisciplinary teams of elite professionals provide perspective and advice to help our clients accelerate market leadership. SGM delivers assurance, tax, transactions and advisory services to thousands of companies spanning all industries. EY is the undisputed leader in taking companies public, advising key government agencies on the issues impacting high-growth companies and convening the experts who shape the business climate. For more information, please visit us at ey.com/us/strategicgrowthmarkets (http://www.ey.com/us/strategicgrowthmarkets), or follow news on Twitter @EY_Growth (https://twitter.com/EY_Growth).