Prosper, Inc. named a 2005 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year®

July 5, 2005
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Ernst & Young 2005 Utah Entrepreneur of the Year award Recipients, Sponsors & Judges

Prosper, Inc. is pleased to announce the awarding of its most recent title. The business was announced as the winner in the area of Marketing/Communications of Ernst & Young's 2005 Utah Entrepreneur of the Year at the awards ceremony held at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday, June 30.

Prosper, Inc., one of eight winners for Utah, was chosen out of twenty-four finalists. Prosper, Inc. impressed the judges with the innovation they showed and the success they achieved.

This prestigious award is meant to recognize entrepreneurs for their vision, leadership, and ability to grow the successful businesses that help sustain the economy. As a Utah winner, Prosper, Inc. is now eligible for the national Entrepreneur of the Year award, to be announced in November.

Prosper, Inc. founders and owners, Willis and Garn were especially touched at the announcement of this award, as they've watched the business grow from a mere idea. Willis and Garn feel that the award belongs to everyone at Prosper, Inc. “An award like this pays tribute to all of the 298 employees, many of which are long-time friends and family we have worked with for many years. We are doing this as a team. We are celebrating this together, and the best part is that we're just getting started,” said Willis.

Lieutenant Governor, Gary Herbert was present at the event and congratulated Willis and Garn on their award.

Ernst & Young is a global leader in professional services. They are committed to building people's trust in professional services firms and the quality of financial reporting. Their Entrepreneur of the Year program is meant to honor those entrepreneurs who have a good idea and an even better method of making that idea happen. People like Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com, Howard Schultz of Starbucks Corp., and Maxine Clark of Build-a-Bear Workshop are all past Entrepreneurs of the Year.

Click here to view the 2005 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award Recipients: http://eoyhof.ey.com/ (Enter "Prosper" in Company Name and press search).