MILWAUKEE, June 25 /PRNewswire/ — Nine Wisconsin business owners earned Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year(R) honors for Wisconsin at a Midwest Airlines Center banquet last evening.
They are recognized as owners of fast-growing companies who have demonstrated excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.
The Wisconsin 2004 Ernst & Young Entrepreneurs Of The Year(R) are:
Business & Technology
James Bere Jr., CEO and COB, Alta Resources, Neenah
Bere created the business-to-business customer relationship management
services company to include sales, marketing and support services for
clients such as Disney, SC Johnson and FedEx. Alta Resource’s goal is to
be an industry leader for global customer-related outsourcing solutions.
Consumer Service/Retail
Arvid Huth, president and owner; and Ben Huth, vice president and owner,
P.M. Bedroom Gallery, Greendale
Their first P.M. Bedroom Gallery store was opened in July of 1993 and has
expanded to four stores in Wisconsin and Illinois. The Huths promote
handcrafted furniture made by local craftsmen in the rural areas of
Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Life Sciences
Dr. Hector DeLuca, president and CEO, Deltanoid Pharmaceuticals, Madison
Dr. DeLuca is recognized as a world leader in vitamin D chemistry,
biochemistry and medicine. He has more than 150 United States patents.
His mission is to improve life for disease-suffering patients by bring to
market as quickly as possible drugs that can help them. Dr. DeLuca is
also the chair of the biochemistry department at UW-Madison.
Dr. Michael Major, president and CEO, Cambridge Major Labs, Germantown
Dr. Major created one of the fastest growing chemistry organizations in
the country in 1999. Cambridge Major Labs has increased revenue despite
the downturn in the economy. Dr. Major is a tenured Associate Professor
of Medicinal Chemistry, and also the youngest doctor of science in
experimental sciences.
Manufacturing
Neil Verfuerth, president, Orion Energy Systems, Plymouth
Verfuerth has led the organization to enormous growth from 2000 to 2004.
He designed an energy efficient lighting solution founded on his
determination to avoid the need for excess generation of electricity.
Realizing Business Potential
Brian Wickert, president and managing owner, Accunetmortgage.com, Butler
Wickert founded Accunet in 1999. Using self-developed software, Wickert
has increased efficiency and timeliness for mortgage customers. Accunet
has quickly grown to become the 7th largest mortgage banker headquartered
in Southeast Wisconsin. Its service area includes Wisconsin, Illinois
and Florida
Wholesale/Retail Distribution
Timothy Omer, president; and Stacy Kinsley, executive vice president, DCI
Cheese Company, Inc., Mayville
DCI Cheese was founded in 1975 to market specialty cheeses. Omer and
Kinsley acquired the company in 1992. Under their direction, the company
has seen a compounded annual growth rate of 57 percent. DCI Cheese’s
innovative marketing strategies have helped keep cheese merchants and
“mom and pop” cheese companies alive and well.
The Wisconsin Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year(R) winners are now eligible for National Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year(R) awards which will be announced in Palm Springs, California in November 2004 at a black-tie awards gala.
The program, started in the Milwaukee office of professional services firm Ernst & Young in 1986, has expanded to six continents, more than 150 cities and 35 nations.
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year(R) is produced by Ernst & Young. Wisconsin co-sponsors are Godfrey & Kahn, S.C., Clifton Gunderson LLP, The Business Journal and The British Midlands. National sponsors include The Kauffman Foundation and Microsoft.
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 103,000 people in more than 140 countries around the globe pursue the highest levels of integrity, quality, and professionalism to provide clients with solutions based on financial, transactional, and risk-management knowledge in Ernst & Young’s core services of audit, tax, and transaction advisory services. Further information about Ernst & Young and its approach to a variety of business issues can be found at http://www.ey.com/ . Ernst & Young refers to all the members of the global Ernst & Young organization.
