Six local businesspeople were honored as San Diego’s top entrepreneurs at the 2001 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards held on June 13.
Now in its 15th year, the program salutes entrepreneurs who have overcome challenges to bring into existence a profitable and successful service, product or company.
Six hundred business and community members attended the awards banquet held at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines.
“The focus is recognition,”said Niki Krutop, director of entrepreneurial services for Ernst & Young in San Diego and a partner with the financial firm. “Individuals are working hard on customer service, building their companies and don’t spend much time celebrating their successes.”
Krutop, who has been director for the last eight years, said the program started because of a lack of recognition for entrepreneurs and their accomplishments.
An individual who worked for Ernst & Young saw there wasn’t enough praise for entrepreneurs and decided to do something about it, he said. Now Ernst & Young holds its award programs annually at venues worldwide.
Some 80 nominees competed for a position in one of six categories, from which 30 were pulled as semi-finalists.
Once narrowed to 18 finalists, judges awarded six the title of Entrepreneur of the Year.
What made these winners stand out amongst their competition was their drive for achievement and their ability to “think outside the box,” Krutop said.
“In most or all cases, it was their significant financial success, coupled with an entrepreneurial spirit that said, ‘I can do things differently, compete with the big boys and be successful,'” he said.
Harvey White, chairman and CEO of Leap Wireless International, Inc., is one winner whose picture should be placed in the dictionary next to the word, entrepreneur, Krutop said.
“He’s been successful in a number of different businesses, from running a fishing business to start-up telecommunications companies,” he said, which is one of many reasons attributed to White’s award win.
Krutop also applauded winners Phil Baker and Bob Olodort of Think Outside, for inventing a collapsible keyboard that can plug into handheld devices, such as the Palm Pilot.
“This award showcases how much innovation and entrepreneurship there is in San Diego and you get a birds-eye view of companies that are becoming big successes throughout the country,” said Julie Meier Wright, a panel judge for the award and president and CEO of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp.
As a judge for the past four years, Wright said the interest in the award program has increased each year.
“It’s a nice thing for a company to say they won and this gives us something to celebrate businesses in our region,” she said.
Twelve judges were on the panel, as either past winners or as experienced professionals in one or more of the industries selected as categories.
Contestants are nominated by peers within their industry, community members or by self-nomination.
Most participants are CEOs, founders and presidents who have been significantly involved in all aspects of their business, Krutop said.
The call for nominations is sent out in February, with nomination packages due April and judging done in May.
After long hours of looking over written submissions and short interviews with judges during a semi-finalist reception, votes are cast anonymously.
“There’s a wide range of judges that look for different things (in each nominee),” Krutop said.
He said criteria includes and can range from evidence of innovative or creative management and financial performance, to how unique or novel is the service or product and how difficult was it to achieve this.
In some categories the competition was close, Wright said.
“What’s neat is the level of consensus that comes around companies that emerge as being truly outstanding in their categories,” she said.
The six winners are now eligible to compete in the National Entrepreneur of the Year awards program held in Palm Springs in early November.
