Friday, June 30, 2006
Atlanta, Georgia, June 29, 2006 – Ernst & Young LLP today announced the winners of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2006 award in the Alabama/Georgia/Tennessee region. This year’s award winners were recognized at a special 20th anniversary gala event at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead with more than 500 people in attendance.
All of the award winners were selected by an independent panel of judges composed of area leaders from business, academic and civic organizations. The Alabama/Georgia/Tennessee Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2006 award winners are:
Defense and Security
Ronnie Gene Barrett
President
Barrett Firearms Mgt. Inc.
Murfreesboro, TN
Entrepreneurial Excellence
C. Garry Betty
President and Chief Executive Officer
EarthLink, Inc.
Atlanta, GA
Financial Services
Raymond J. Harbert
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Harbert Management Corporation
Birmingham, Alabama
Health Sciences
Rod Laughlin
Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer
Regency Hospital Company
Alpharetta, GA
Lifetime Achievement
J. Hicks Lanier
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Oxford Industries, Inc.
Atlanta, GA
Real Estate and Construction
Ian J. McCarthy
President, Chief Executive Officer
Beazer Homes USA, Inc.
Atlanta, GA
Retail and Consumer Products
Alan M. Beychok
President
Benchmark Brands, Inc.
Norcross, GA
Services
Wendy F. Reed
Chief Executive Officer
InfoMentis, Inc.
Alpharetta, GA
Technology
Jon Yarbrough
President
Video Gaming Technologies, Inc.
Smyrna, TN
“Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award winners embrace the entrepreneurial spirit and determination necessary to achieve success,” said Gerry Wilson, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year partner in charge of the Alabama/Georgia/Tennessee “Ernst & Young is proud of its 20-year history in recognizing and supporting these outstanding leaders and their companies.”
Alabama/Georgia/Tennessee award winners are eligible for consideration for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2006 national program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the overall national Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California on November 18, 2006. The overall national Entrepreneur Of The Year award recipient is then considered for the world event held in Monte Carlo.
The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year awards program celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and continues to recognize the leaders and visionaries who are creating and building world-class businesses. Awards are given to entrepreneurs who have demonstrated excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.
Sponsors
Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year award program is nationally sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. In Alabama/Georgia/Tennessee, local sponsors include King & Spalding, Marsh, SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Bowne and The Atlanta Journal Consitution.
About the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards
The Entrepreneur Of The Year® awards program was created and is produced by professional services firm Ernst & Young LLP. As the first award of its kind, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 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.
About Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young, a global leader in professional services, is committed to restoring the public's trust in professional services firms and in the quality of financial reporting. Its 107,000 people in 140 countries pursue the highest levels of integrity, quality, and professionalism in providing a range of sophisticated services centered on our core competencies of auditing, accounting, tax, and transactions. Further information about Ernst & Young and its approach to a variety of business issues can be found at www.ey.com/perspectives. Ernst & Young refers to the global organization of member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited does not provide services to clients.
Waud Capital Partners, L.L.C. is a private equity investment firm founded in 1993 and located in Lake Forrest, Illinois. Waud Capital Partners has successfully completed over fifty investments in a wide range of industries, including adhesives, alarm monitoring, automotive components, coatings, consumer products, lighting, medical distribution, publishing, sealants and specialty hospitals.
For more information on Regency Hospital Company and/or Waud Capital Partners visit www.regencyhospital.com and/or www.waudcapital.com.