11 Local Entrepreneurs Are Honored

The 'heroes,' who represent 8 companies, gain awards at gala

Whether they make ladders, build shopping malls or provide software to help the legal industry, entrepreneurs are considered by some to be modern-day heroes.

Eleven local heroes, representing eight companies, were honored with 2005 Utah Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards Thursday during a gala banquet at the Salt Palace.

David Jolley, managing partner of the Salt Lake office of Ernst & Young, said in a statement printed in the event's program that the 24 finalists for this year's awards were "exemplary individuals" who "are at once the backbone of our economy and the successors to our nation's long tradition of business innovation."

As he spoke to a ballroom-full of the state's businessmen and businesswomen, Jolley added that he looked forward to a future that would be shaped by the legacy of the business leaders recognized Thursday.

And he noted the variety among this year's finalists. For example, Jolley said, only six of the 24 companies existed 20 years ago, and the finalists do everything from making parts for airplanes to serving delicious dinners.

"These are the dreamers," Jolley wrote in his prepared statement. "The people who set out in a new direction – and inspired others to follow. Tonight we celebrate their arrival at an important milestone."

It was a milestone that was a long time coming for someone like H. Roger Boyer, chairman and founder of The Boyer Co., who received the award in the real estate/construction category. Boyer started his company in 1972.

But it was a much shorter turnaround for the likes of Ethan Willis and Randy Garn of Prosper Inc. Willis, the company's chief executive, and Garn, chief marketing officer, founded their company in 1999 and took home the award Thursday in the marketing/communications category.

"This is the nineteenth year that we have recognized the entrepreneurial spirit of businessmen and women across the state," Jolley wrote in his prepared statement. "In good times and bad, we have watched them hold to their course, give rein to their imaginations…and succeed.

"Tonight we applaud their ability to turn dreams into reality."

The eight award-winning companies were selected from a group of 49 nominees by a panel of independent judges composed of area leaders from business, academic and civic organizations.

Utah award recipients will be eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur of the Year 2005 national program. Winners in several national categories will be announced at an awards gala in November in Palm Springs, Calif. The overall national Entrepreneur of the Year Award recipient is then considered for the world event held in Monte Carlo.

Local sponsors for the Entrepreneur of the Year awards are Comcast, Deseret Morning News, Digital Bytes, Diversified Insurance Brokers, The Summit Group Communications, Utah Business Magazine and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.

Story by Greg Kratz, Deseret Morning News