Entrepreneur of the Year Nominations

Entrepreneur of the Year Nominations

By Sean Roth and Staff

Chalk it up to a more firmly situated economy and a scorching hot real estate market, but the list of nominees for the Review's top 2005 Entrepreneur Award has seen prodigious growth the past three years. Of the 25 nominees, nearly half recorded revenue growth rates the past three years of more than 100%, and all but seven of the nominees had growth rates greater than 50%.

Earlier this month, GCBR compiled a list of possible award winning entrepreneurs and solicited nomination from you our readers.

Then we set about thinning the herd. Reporters contacted each and every company asking for financial data, employment figures and other achievements that the nominees may have amassed in 2004.

Companies were required to have been open at least three years and to be based in either Sarasota or Manatee counties. Any company that saw a revenue decline from 2002 to 2004 or that was not willing to provide revenue figures were excluded.

We have amassed a group of the strongest entrepreneurial nominees available in the two-county market.

The Review has a good track record for picking quality businesses and entrepreneurs. Our runner-ups in 2000 for top Entrepreneur, Harvey Vengroff and Bob Williams, of Vengroff, Williams & Associates, took the top prize in 2002. Similarly, Bill Mullis, head of People Leasing and the top entrepreneur for 2004, was a nominee and finalist for the top prize in 2002. Ditto for Lee Wetherington, who was both a 2002 finalist and the top entrepreneur for 2003.

Many of this year's nominees have been finalists in past years. Steve Herrig, of Progressive Employee Services, was chosen as a finalist in 2001, 2003 and 2004. David Eckel, of Wagner Realty, and John Cannon, of John Cannon Homes, were nominees twice. Other past finalists include: Vern Buchanan, Buchanan Automotive; Ken Pendery, First Watch; Pat Neal, Neal Custom Homes/Neal Communities; Alan Zirkelbach, Zirkelbach Construction; and Jay Tallman and Tom Brown, U.S. Assets Group.

Do they have what it takes this year to grab the ring? We'll see. Our judges will look over the data, and next week the Review will announce 10 finalists for the 2005 Entrepreneur Award.

Then on Friday, May 20, at a noon luncheon at the Hyatt Sarasota, 1000 Boulevard of the Arts, the Review will announce its top entrepreneur for 2005 and the two runners-up. The event will also serve as a tribute to Mary Fran Carroll, John Clarke and Rex Jensen, the architects behind the economic giant master-planned community Lakewood Ranch. For information or to make reservations, call (941) 308-1714.

Best of luck to our nominees, and we hope to see you all there.

The Nominees

2004 Revenue growth rate

Name Company Gross Revenue (2002-2004)

Jim Abrams VenVest Inc. $40.8 million 184.6%

Tom Brown and Jay Tallman U.S. Assets Group $147 million 267.5%

Vern Buchanan Buchanan Automotive Group $757 million 55%

John Cannon John Cannon Homes Inc. $132 million 222%

Virginia Dorris and Dori Rath The Nelco Cos. $227 million 33.7%

David Eckel Wagner Realty $12 million 69%

Bruce Franklin, Peter Houk,

Javier Suarez and Robert Town III The ADP Group $4.7 million 104%

Charles and Kim Githler Intershow and Online Trading Expo $16.95 million 50%

Steve Herrig Progressive Employer Services $215.5 million 14.2%

Brett Hutchens Casto Lifestyle Properties $16 million 6%

Richard Karp Advanced Masonry Systems $26 million 36.8%

Philip Kellogg and Charles Kimsey Kellogg and Kimsey Inc. $45.5 million 13.8%

Neil McCurry People's Community Bank of the West Coast $5.734 million 120.2%

Michael Miller The Waterford Cos. $80.7 million 103.8%

Charlie Murphy The Bank of Commerce $6.313 million 108.8%

Pat Neal Neal Custom Homes/Neal Communities $110 million 71.9%

Kenneth Pendery First Watch Restaurants Inc. $54 million 22%

Thomas Quale LandMark Bank of Florida $5.31 million 124%

Michael Saunders Michael Saunders & Co. $80.8 million 79.6%

David Sessions Willis A. Smith Construction $57.9 million 274.8%

Helen Sosso Prudential Palms Realty $13.838 million 1,162%

Britt Williams Bruce Williams Homes $89.3 million 109.7%

John Williams Gould and Lamb LLC $11.96 million 455.5%

Alan Zirkelbach Zirkelbach Construction Inc. $42 million 41.4%

Don Zirkelbach Ameritex Technologies Inc. $16.5 million 52.8%