2015_Entrepreneur of the Year

8/18/2019 2015_Entrepreneur of the Year

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Network starsAndy Bechtolsheim and

Jayshree Ullal of Arista Networks

have perfected a formula that has

powered their company’s rapid

ascent in the networking industry.

ExceptionalEntrepreneurship + Innovation = Growth

November 2015

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® Special Edition


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Founded and produced by

Nationally sponsored by


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C o v e r p h o t o g r a p h y C o u r t e s y o f A r i s t a N e t w o r k s

It’s every entrepreneur’s dream to launch an idea that makes a difference and accelerates

the way their industry, their peers and their communities approach, react to and look at the

world around them.

That’s exactly what the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® Award winners are doing. They’re

challenging — and changing — the status quo, rethinking the way we approach the markets

and altering the way we go about our business.

In this special issue of Exceptional, we honor our winners’ ability

to create new products and services, transform organizations,

enrich lives, contribute to the vibrancy of our national economy,

and accelerate our businesses, our communities and the world.

Just a glance at the companies led by the 266 award winners

reveals the vital role played by these leading innovators:• Collectively, these companies have added 81,000 jobs

in the last two years — a 29% boost in headcount.

• Our honorees have achieved US$169 billion in revenues.

• The 59 venture-backed companies considered for the 2015

Venture Capital Award of Excellence have collectively raised

more than $6.6 billion in private capital.

The panels of independent judges who selected this year’s

nalists and winners used a balanced scorecard that considers

revenue, prot and employment growth. The panels also reviewed the entrepreneurs’ overall

careers, their approach to innovation and the future, their commitment to building a strong

team and sustainable business, and their enthusiasm for giving back.

We are also celebrating 12 amazing EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ who

have succeeded by thinking big, overcoming or ignoring barriers, and challenging the

assumptions that, for too long, deterred their success.We’re excited to introduce our 2015 National Overall Award winners, Andy Bechtolsheim

and Jayshree Ullal of Arista Networks, who built their business with a very specic goal in

mind: to create

an IT company

that would

provide disruptive,

innovative

solutions for the

world’s largest

networking challenges. To say they’ve succeeded would be an understatement. Founded in

2004, Arista achieved protable growth in annual sales in two short years and, in 2014,

experienced a 9.3% year-over-year increase in port share in the high-speed Ethernet switch

market. That’s entrepreneurship at its best!The November 2015 awards gala was an especially poignant one for us — not only did

we honor the exceptional accomplishments of entrepreneurs across the US, but it was

the kickoff to 30 years of ingenuity in America, the yearlong, 30th annual celebration

of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Program. Thirty years! Just think of all of the changes

and progress we’ve seen in the past three decades. We’re incredibly proud to share this

momentous occasion with you over the next 12 months.

Together with our national sponsors, SAP America and the Kauffman Foundation, EY

salutes the Entrepreneur Of The Year Class of 2015 — inspirational entrepreneurs who are

helping to build a better working world.

Accelerating

our world

ExceptionalAmericas Director,

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year

Mike Kacsmar

Americas Program Manager Wendy Fox

Editorial Director Marina Paulus

Managing Editor Amy Koeppl

Contributing Writers Edward J. Defort,

Greg Kerr, Scott Ladd, William Kozel,

Doug Milbrodt, Roger Morton,

Richard Osborne, Lindsey Siegle

Copy Editors Amy Koeppl, Kevin Daniels

Creative Director Christine Couture

Lead Designer William Mengle

Picture Editor Simon Weinstein

Exceptional Special Edition is printed in

the US by Shapco Printing.

For EY

Americas Director, Marketing and

Communications, Strategic Growth Markets

Lisa Schiffman

For this special edition or regularly published

issues of Exceptional, contact Lisa Schiffman at

[email protected] or +1 215 448 5596.

Herb EngertEY AmericasStrategic GrowthMarkets Leader

Mike KacsmarAmericas Director,EY EntrepreneurOf The Year

Honoring those who’ve propelledtheir industries — and our economy —into overdrive

Exceptional Special Edition November 2015

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Contents National categories

8Technology Andy Bechtolsheim,Jayshree Ullal,Arista Networks

Keith R. Dunleavy, MD,Inovalon

Keith Krach, DocuSign, Inc.

Marcus Ryu,Guidewire Software, Inc.

14 Distribution andManufacturingBerto Guerra,Avanzar InteriorTechnologies, LTD

Jason Luo,Key Safety Systems

Scott C. Mueller,Dean Mueller,Dealer Tire

Jeremy Rincon,Robby Whites,Andrew Philipp,Clarus Glassboards, LLC

18Emerging

David Royce, Alterra

Jeff Church, Suja Juice

Adam Hepworth, Jamberry

Matt Salzberg, Ilia Papas,Matthew Wadiak,Blue Apron

22Energy, Cleantechand Natural Resources

Eric Dee Long,USA Compression

M. Kevin McEvoy,Oceaneering International, Inc.

John B. Walker, EnerVest, Ltd.

Donald Young,Hoover Group, Inc.

26

Family Business

Andrew D. Peykoff II,

Niagara Bottling, LLCRobert M. Beall, Beall’s, Inc.

Lou Gentine, Louie Gentine,Sargento Foods Inc.

Edward Weisiger, Jr., CTE

30 Financial Services Alfred P. West, Jr., SEINoah Breslow, OnDeck

Kenneth Lin, Credit Karma

Jonathan Steinberg,WisdomTree Investments, Inc.

34Life SciencesJean-Jacques Bienaimé,BioMarin Pharmaceutical

Charles Dunlop, James Dunlop,Ambry Genetics

Mike Mussallem,Edwards Lifesciences

Tim Walbert, Horizon Pharma

38 Media, Entertainmentand CommunicationsMaggie Wilderotter,

Frontier CommunicationsFrank Addante, Rubicon Project

Chris DeWolfe, SGN

Sean Eugene Reilly,Lamar Advertising Company

42 Real Estate, Hospitalityand ConstructionAdam Neumann, WeWork

James Michael Appling, Jr.,TNT Crane & Rigging, Inc.

John Kilroy,

Kilroy Realty CorporationZeke Turner, Mainstreet

8

Award winner

“We had to go from a start-up phase tocustomer phase while still maintainingand preserving ... our key attributes.”

Jayshree Ullal, Arista Networks

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4Celebrating30 yearsof ingenuityin America

A brief history of theEY Entrepreneur OfThe Year® US Program

6 Call for 2016nominationsKnow a high-growthentrepreneur?

Nominate him or her!

Extras Recognition

4238

46Retail andConsumer Products

Reade Fahs, Bruce Steffey,National Vision, Inc.

Marla Malcolm Beck,Bluemercury, Inc.

John Foraker, Annie’s, Inc.

Jamie Lima, Paulo Lima,IT Cosmetics

50

Services

Y. Michele Kang, Cognosante

Lawrence Janesky,Basement Systems Inc.

Dr. Setul G. Patel,Neighbors Health System, Inc.

Abhi Shah, Clutch Group

54 Venture CapitalAward of Excellence™ Dr. Richard Heyman,Aragon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,Seragon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Adam Neumann, WeWork

Marcus Ryu, Guidewire Software, Inc.

7National judging panel

Meet the independent judgeswho selected this year’sentrepreneurs who areaccelerating their business

58 EY WorldEntrepreneurOf The Year™ 2015

Mohed Altrad,Altrad Group, France

61 EY EntrepreneurialWinning Women™Presenting theClass of 2015

18

EY | Assurance | Tax | Transactions | Advisory

About EYEY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and condence in the capital markets and in economies the world overWe develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and forour communities.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member rms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK companylimited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

Ernst & Young LLP is a client-serving member rm of Ernst & Young Global Limited operating in the US.

© 2015 Ernst & Young LLP. All Rights Reserved. | SCORE no. BE0285. ED 0916.

EY is committed to reducing its impact on the environment. This document was printed using recycled paper and vegetable-based ink.


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Celebrating 30 years of ingenuity in Americahether you woke up today with plans to work, bank,

grocery shop, entertain, skydive, or any one of thousands

of other ordinary — and extraordinary — activities, you likely

have to thank an entrepreneur who had already imagined

how to revolutionize

your experience.

Since 1986,

EY has celebrated

the accomplishments

of thousands of

entrepreneurs across

the US as they

undertook their missions

to build a better world.

We recognize and honor

these outstanding

individuals through

the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Program.

With this special Entrepreneur Of The Year edition ofExceptional, we acknowledge the success stories of 2015,

then turn the corner to kick off a year-long celebration,

aptly named 30 years of ingenuity in America. Our goal is to

recognize those who have had a lasting impact on how we

live, work and play.

Some of the Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni we will

highlight throughout 2016 will be instantly recognizable

to you, either because of the power of their names or the

magnitude of their innovations. Others may be slightly less

familiar but will have nonetheless made an indelible impact:

those winners, for instance, who’ve dened revolutionary

approaches to curing cancer or developed the technology

behind our interconnected world or reinvented how we

connect with our peers or reimagined how we move from

place to place.

Regardless of their purpose, one thing connects these

award-winning business leaders: they are the premier examples

of what happens when entrepreneurs connect their ingenuity

to a market opportunity — they leave a noteworthy legacy.

Join us as we celebrate 30 years of ingenuity in America,

represented by the award-winning visionaries who have

changed our lives forever — and for the better.

Mike KacsmarAmericas Director,EY EntrepreneurOf The Year

Wendy FoxAmericas Program Manager,EY EntrepreneurOf The Year

2015 Andy Bechtolsheim

and Jayshree Ullal

Arista Networks

2014 David Hung, MD

Medivation

2013 Hamid Moghadam

Prologis

2012 Hamdi Ulukaya

Chobani, Inc.

2011 Reid Hoffman

and Jeff Weiner

LinkedIn Corporation

2010 Howard W. Lutnick

Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.

and BGC Partners, Inc.

2009 Tom Adams

Rosetta Stone Inc.

2008 Matthew Szulik

Red Hat, Inc.

2007 Isaac Larian

MGA Entertainment

2006 Richard E. Caruso, PhD

Integra LifeSciences

Corporation

2005 Arthur M. Blank

Atlanta Falcons,

The Home Depot,

Georgia Force

2004 H. Wayne Huizenga

Huizenga Holdings, Inc.

2003 John Mackey

Whole Foods

Market, Inc.

Past and present EY Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winners

The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni form themost influential, innovative and exclusive network of

entrepreneurs in the world. Connect with your fellow

winners at ey.com/us/eoy/alumni.


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2002 Jeno F. Paulucci

Luigino’s, Inc.

2001 Dr. Phillip Frost

IVAX Corporation

2000 Scott Kriens

Juniper Networks

1999 Richard M. Schulze

Best Buy Co., Inc.

1998 Edward Iacobucci

Citrix Systems, Inc.

1997 Jack Taylor

and Andy Taylor

Enterprise

Rent-A-Car

1995 Allen Breed

Breed

Technologies, Inc.

1994 Robert Basham,

Tim Gannon

and Chris Sullivan

Outback Steakhouse

1993 Robert E.M. Nourse

The Bombay

Company

1992 Jerry Ehrlich

Wabash National

1991 Cecil Ursprung

Reexite Corporation

1990 Robert Levine

and Craig Benson

Cabletron

Systems, Inc.

1989 Michael Dell

Dell Inc.

2009

1989

2012

20112014

2011

2013

2004

2010

2005

2015

2015


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Your legacy has nothing to do with how old you

are or the age of your company, and everything

to do with your impact on business and the world

around you.

If you’re running a successful company, we

want to know you better. Since 1986, EY has

honored the entrepreneurs whose spirit of

innovation and discipline have benefted us all.

If you’ve been inspired by a successful

entrepreneur in your community — or are

one yourself — submit a nomination for our

Entrepreneur Of The Year 2016 Program.

To request nomination materials, call+1 800 755 2927, or visit us online atey.com/us/eoy. The entry deadline isMarch 11, 2016.

Celebrating 30years of ingenuityin America.

© 2 0 1 5 E r n s t & Y o u n g L L P . A l l R i g h t s R e s e r v e d . E D 1 1 1 6


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Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015national judgesFedele Bauccio, Bon Appétit Management Company

Chris J. Beckett, Pacic Drilling

Ray Bingham, General Atlantic

Lori A. Blaker, TTi Global

Tom Briggs, Retired Private Investor

Jean Case, Case Foundation

Scott A. Dahnke, Catterton

Will Darman, The Carlyle Group

J. Scott Di Valerio, Technology Executive

James W. Dixon, CompuCom Systems, Inc.

Greg Dunlevy, Kosmos Energy Limited

Karin Eastham, Illumina, Inc.; Morphosys AG;Geron Corporation; Veracyte, Inc.; Althea DX

Jay Freeland, FARO Technologies, Inc.

Greg Graves, Burns & McDonnell

Doug Grissom, Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC

James P. Hallett, KAR Auction Services, Inc.

Ronald J. Kruszewski, Stifel Financial Corp.

Bill M. Lambert, MSA Safety, Inc.

Marc R. Lederman, NewSpring Capital

James R. Levy, Warburg Pincus

Eric E. Lofquist, Magnus International Group

Michael Mansfeld, Manseld Oil CompanyJack C. Mascaro, Mascaro Construction Company, L.P.

Robert H. McCooey Jr., Nasdaq

Richard M. McVey, MarketAxess Holdings, Inc.

Jayne Millard, Turtle & Hughes, Inc.

Yiannis Monovoukas, PhD,TEI Biosciences Inc. and TEI Medical Inc.

Jim Nixon, Sandvik Venture

Carolyn Parent, Gravy

Kimberly Park, Merck & Co., Inc.

Steve Pate, Strike

Linda Rabbitt, rand* construction corporationAndra M. Rush, The Rush Group LLC

Garvis Toler III, The New York Stock Exchange

Charlie Vogt, Imagine Communications

Mark Volchek, Higher One Holdings, Inc.

Naomi Whittel, Reserveage Nutrition

Joset Wright-Lacy, National Minority SupplierDevelopment Council®

Barbara A. Yastine, Ally Bank

judges Meet the

7 Exceptional Special Edition November 2015


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Up, up and away

Overall award winners

Award winner_Andy Bechtolsheim

Founder, Chief Development Officer

and Chairman

Award winner_ Jayshree Ullal

President and CEO

Arista Networks

Santa Clara, CA

Founded: 2004

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Category: Technology


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Andy Bechtolsheimand Jayshree Ullal guide

Arista Networks into

industry leadership with

the help of the cloud.



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“Five years ago, 90% of networking gear was sold throughenterprises and 10% went through cloud data centers.

By 2016, half of networking will go through the cloud.”

hen Andy Bechtolsheim founded Arista Networks in 2004, he had already played a key role in starting a number of IT industry

stalwarts, including Sun Microsystems.

With Arista, however, Bechtolsheim had a very specic goal in mind: to build an IT company led by engineers that would

provide disruptive, innovative solutions for the world’s largest networking challenges. Over the next four years, he focused on

building the foundation for Arista’s networking software architecture. In 2008 he tapped industry leader Jayshree Ullal, a former

Cisco executive, to serve as CEO.

Together, Bechtolsheim (working as Chief Development Ofcer) and Ullal have perfected the formula that has powered Arista’s

rapid ascent in the networking industry. The company currentlycounts more than 3,000 customers, primarily data centers and

high-performance computing centers, on its client roster.

Drawing on his prior IT industry experience, Bechtolsheim

was determined not to seek outside nancing when starting

the company.

“The particular software approach we were taking was going to

take time, and venture capitalists don’t have a lot of patience for

product development,” Bechtolsheim says. This approach allowed

him “to go slow and build the right underpinning for the product.”


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This self-imposed incubation period enabled Bechtolsheim

and his team to perfect Arista’s software architecture so

the company would be ready to take off once they ofcially

launched their product. Arista achieved protable growth

within two years of its product release, a signicant milestone

for an early-stage technology company.Bechtolsheim also knew this was the right time to hire

someone to lead the company. “This was a key inection

point,” he says. “We had to turn from being an engineering

and product development company and become a real

operation. That is not my cup of tea. We needed someone

who understood this market.”

Bechtolsheim knew that Ullal would ll the bill. They

had previously worked together at another company he

had founded, Granite Systems, which was later bought by Cisco.

“We knew each other extremely well, so we had a denite trust

factor and strong working relationship. There was never any

question in my mind that she was the best choice,” he says.

Both Bechtolsheim and Ullal realized that preserving and

strengthening Arista’s culture would be critical to sustaining itsgrowth. Ullal, who had seen many companies hit a wall as they

lost the cultural traits and attributes that fueled their growth, was

especially concerned that Arista retain its entrepreneurial spirit.

“We had to go from a start-up phase to customer phase while still

maintaining and preserving what we all strongly believed were our

key attributes,” Ullal says. “We are a high-tech company, built by

engineers for engineers, with an open culture of communication.

We really wanted to make one plus one much greater than two.”

Bechtolsheim and Ullal have made sure

that Arista avoids the complexity trap which

plagues many large companies. “Having a at

organization that is totally customer-focused

is happiness,” Bechtolsheim says. “We don’t

even have a separate product marketing

group. Our strategy is totally built around

customer priorities.”

Because Arista’s customer base includes

many companies that are “technologically

“We really wanted to make one plus one much greater than two.”


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savvy” in their own right and eager to use cloud computingfor their operations, helping customers adapt to the cloud has

become one of Arista’s priorities.

“We predicted the cloud back in 2008,” Ullal says, but the

market wasn’t quite ready at that time. In the interim, Arista

established itself as a leading provider of networking solutions

for nancial traders, who relied on robust, high-frequency

trading. As that industry shifted away from centralized data

centers, Arista moved to embrace cloud computing.

“The rapid rise of the cloud has accelerated our growth,”

Bechtolsheim says. “Five years ago, 90% of networking gear

was sold through enterprises and 10% went through cloud

data centers. By 2016, half of all networking will go throughthe cloud.”

Moving to a cloud-based architecture also enables Arista

to offer scalable, open-standards-based solutions, which

will help global enterprises keep pace with the rapid growth

expected in internet trafc over the next ve years.

To ensure that the company continues to develop

leading-edge networking solutions, Arista devotes

25% of all corporate revenue to research and

development efforts. “R&D is our single largest

investment,” Bechtolsheim says. “If you look at our

total [operating expenditures], well over half is R&D.

Two-thirds of our head count is engineering, and90% of that is in software engineering.”

As Arista turns to the cloud to establish itself as

one of the strongest networking companies in the world, both

Bechtolsheim and Ullal intend to ensure that Arista retains

its focus.

“We have to be careful to stay on our mission,” Ullal

says. “The cloud will expand to storage, virtualization and

security. Every time that expansion happens, there’s more

opportunity for us.”

“The cloud will expand to storage, virtualization and security. Every time that expansion happens, there’s more opportunity for us

2 Number of years it took Aristato achieve profitable growth90 Percentage of engineering employeeswho are software engineers

25Percentage of revenue allocated toresearch and development


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f inalists

Keith R. Dunleavy, MDInovalon

Chief Executive Officer &

Chairman of the Board

Bowie, MD | Founded: 1998

The health care industry is awash with data

from clinical trials and millions of patient

records yet has lagged behind other industries

in turning that data into actionable insights.Inovalon, under the leadership of Keith

Dunleavy, has tackled this gap with a

vengeance, developing cloud-based analytics

and data-driven platforms to help health care

providers improve patient outcomes, save

costs and realize higher revenue.

Dunleavy, who recently guided Inovalon

though an IPO, has helped the company

establish itself as a clear industry leader. In

gathering data from its clients, Inovalon has

developed what he refers to as “America’s

health care database,” which containsmore than 9.2 billion medical events from

120 million patients, 754,000 physicians and

248,000 clinical facilities.

As a strong believer in responsible

entrepreneurship, Dunleavy has not taken

a raise, bonus or option for the past ve

years, preferring to reward the employees

who are making Inovalon a leader in

delivering data-driven insights to the health

care industry.

Keith KrachDocuSign, Inc.

Chairman & CEO

San Francisco, CA | Founded: 2003

When Keith Krach joined DocuSign, the

company was focused on developing its

eSignature platform solely for the real estate

industry. Krach soon broadened DocuSign’s

vision from real estate to transformingthe way all businesses securely exchange

condential electronic documents.

He set out to achieve his goal by

creating a new culture centered on building

high-performing teams, guided by a clear

mission and vision for the company’s future.

Today DocuSign boasts more than 100,000

enterprise customers worldwide and some

50 million individual users.

Building on DocuSign’s progress in the real

estate industry, Krach rolled out a secure

electronic documentation service and thenforged a partnership with Salesforce. Using

DocuSign to transact test deals, Salesforce

helped DocuSign gain exposure to countless

other companies about the benets of using

its electronic documentation platform.

Krach continues to emphasize teamwork

and culture. He spends close to 30% of his

time nding the right talent to ensure that

DocuSign maintains its leadership position in

the electronic documentation space.

Marcus RyuGuidewire Software, Inc.

Chief Executive, President & Co-Founder

Foster City, CA | Founded: 2001

When Marcus Ryu cofounded Guidewire

in 2001, he and his partners, all software

industry veterans, knew that most software

companies lacked deep industry insight.

As a result, even the most robust softwaresolutions fail to make a lasting difference, at

least not without major customization effort

Recognizing this as a lost opportunity, Ryu

resolved to start a company that would focus

on transforming one industry: property and

casualty insurance. Through an ecosystem

of integration partners, software vendors

and insurance carriers, Guidewire has

orchestrated more than 200 implementation

with zero failures and 100% customer

satisfaction. As a result, Ryu and his team

have helped to signicantly lower processingcosts for the industry, rmly establishing

Guidewire as a leading provider of property

and casualty software solutions.

As CEO, Ryu gives his team the latitude

to run the business, reserving the difcult

personnel decisions for himself. His people

strategy is working: Guidewire, with

customers in 22 countries, reports an attritio

rate of less than 8%, some two to three times

lower than the software industry norm.


13

Category: Technology


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“If I was going to do business with one of the bestcompanies in the world — Toyota — I needed to thinklike Toyota. I needed to produce the way they do.”

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en years ago, Berto Guerra faced a tough career choice. Having been passed over

for promotion at Southwestern Bell, he gathered his family around the kitchen tableand pondered his future. Should he stay at Southwestern Bell, or should he go?

Guerra, a man of strong religious faith, looked for a sign. The next day, he

learned that Toyota was planning a major manufacturing plant in his home city of

San Antonio, TX, and was in the market for a local entrepreneur to help create an

automotive parts business to supply the facility.

No stranger to running new businesses in very different industries, but new

to the automotive world, Guerra developed Avanzar Interior Technologies to

produce door panels and car seats for Toyota Tundra and Tacoma trucks. Today,

the San Antonio-based enterprise has evolved into a business with 900 employees

and average year-over-year growth of 24% for the past ve years.

At Avanzar, Guerra strives to create an environment that promotes and honors

company loyalty, where employees never stop learning and applying new lessonsfor the betterment of the business. Guerra says he, personally, has learned more

from Toyota than making quality truck parts. He’s assimilated key tenets of the

Japanese carmaker’s philosophy.

“If I was going to do business with one of the best companies in the world,

I needed to think like Toyota,” he says. “I needed to produce the way they do.”

Noting that Toyota takes the long view on building and sustaining a business —

“whether 15, 20, 100 years out” — Guerra says his team follows the Japanese

principles of kaizen, the practice of continuous improvement, and kanban, an

innovative inventory control system.

Award winner_Berto Guerra

CEO and Chairman

Avanzar Interior Technologies, LTD

San Antonio, TX

Founded: 2005

Distribution and Manufacturing

Driven

to excel


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Avanzar, which means “to advance” or move forward,

relies on plant cleanliness, competitive pricing, high-quality

products and customer service to differentiate itself in the

industry. But loyalty, commitment and pure hard work have

been staples of Guerra’s entrepreneurial thinking long before

he linked fortunes with Toyota.As a 6-year-old, he began shining shoes at his dad’s

San Antonio barbershop. His father, a tough former US Army

infantryman, told him to ask everyone who entered the shop

whether they wanted a shine — even an unlikely customer

who walked in one day wearing tennis shoes. The customer

thanked the boy for asking and pulled an old, crusty pair

of boots from the back of his pickup. The young Guerra

earned 50 cents for the cleaning job, rather than his normal

15 cents.

“That taught me an important lesson,”

he says. “Always ask the question.”

Knowing to ask the right questions has

carried Guerra far. At the age of 18, he

secured an $80,000 loan and bought a

local ice cream shop. He then purchased

movie theater and Pizza Hut franchises

(“I didn’t even like pizza at the time”)

before moving up the management

ranks at Southwestern Bell.

As for his own management style and

what he seeks from his leadership team,

Guerra stresses the basics.

“My dad always told me, ‘Don’t be

afraid to surround yourself with people

that are smarter than you in certain

areas. Be fearless; don’t be intimidated.

You are going to be the leader of the

orchestra,’ ” he says.

“I look for people with a vision,

who are unafraid to think outside the

box,” he adds. “I want people who are

tenacious, not afraid to roll up their

sleeves, work on a project and take

pride in it.”

Loyalty and a sense of common

purpose also count. “I interview every

single person we’re thinking of hiring.

All 900 of our people here, I’ve personally

interviewed them,” Guerra notes. “I want

to see if they t into our family, our code

of business, who we are.”At Avanzar, loyalty is a two-way

street. The economic crisis of

2008 forced Toyota to mothball its

San Antonio plant for 14 weeks as sales

and orders dried up. Refusing to close

his own plant, Guerra instead negotiated

a deal with Toyota and Johnson Controls — Avanzar’s production

facility partner — that allowed him to keep his employees working

full-time. They had no automotive work to do, he recalls, but

his employees kept busy by helping renovate the facility and

performing public service in San Antonio, among other things.

“I did not want my people to go hungry, to send them homewithout a paycheck, to discontinue their insurance,” says

the father of 4 and grandfather of 10. “They had families to

take care of.”

Guerra’s entrepreneurial reach has expanded over the

years. He owns two auto dealerships and is moving

toward opening three more. In addition, Avanzar is making

a global push outside its San Antonio base: the company

is in discussions to occupy a plant in Mexico designed to

supply Toyota Corollas.

“I interview every single person we’re thinkingof hiring. ... I want to see if they fit into ourfamily, our code of business, who we are.”

58Seconds it takes Avanzar to install a new seat

in a Toyota truck

188 Robots used in the Avanzar plant

14 Weeks during the financial crisis Guerra kept hisbusiness open while the Toyota plant was closed


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f inalists

Jason LuoKey Safety Systems

President & CEO

Sterling Heights, MI | Founded: 2000

Self-discipline, hard work and turning

innovative ideas into successful products and

systems have been Jason Luo’s calling cards.

Luo is President & CEO of Key Safety Solutions

(KSS), a leader in the automotive supply eld.Luo’s mission has been to globally expand

and diversify its customer base, markets

and regions. He has done so by focusing

on maintaining seamless global operations,

cost efciency, innovative technology and

customer satisfaction.

This strategy has served the company well

through economic downturns and volatile

shifts in the industry. But it requires sufcient

care and feeding. Each quarter, senior

management regroups to assess industry

trends and market opportunities, reviewwhat’s working and determine what needs to

change. Additionally, Luo has his leadership

team periodically rotate positions to more

fully understand all aspects of the business.

Because KSS develops safety-critical

components such as airbags, steering wheels

and electronics — installed in about 300 car

models produced by more than 60 global

customers — Luo knows that the company

“only gets one shot — we have to get it right.”

Scott C. MuellerChief Executive Officer

Dean Mueller PresidentDealer TireCleveland, OH | Founded: 2000

For executives of Dealer Tire, the company’s

legacy is more than in the tread. It’s in

the blood.Interest in the business, founded by the

Muellers’ great-grandfather, has been passed

through the generations. In an established

industry, resistance to change can be an

obstacle to growth. But pioneers can always

bring something new.

Dealer Tire provides a value-added

program based on logistics and IT data to

help auto manufacturers and their franchises

sell replacement tires and parts.

Its business-to-consumer website has

driven customer and revenue growth. AndDealer Tire encourages its employees to

remain current on industry changes and

technology through courses it offers, giving

them the tools for success.

The company’s philosophy of creating

partnerships with dealers, rather than viewing

them strictly as customers, has been a market

differentiator. It has 8% market share, sales

have more than doubled over the past decade,

and the business has expanded into Canada.

Jeremy Rincon Co-Founder Robby Whites Co-Founder Andrew Philipp President

Clarus Glassboards, LLC

Fort Worth, TX | Founded: 2009

As college friends, Jeremy Rincon and

Robby Whites dreamed of starting a businesstogether. After the investment rm where

they were working closed abruptly in 2009,

they cashed out retirement accounts, sold

everything they owned, moved back in with

family and started with a clean slate — literall

A business trip to South America that

introduced them to rudimentary clear

writing boards sealed the deal, and Clarus

Glassboards was born. The duo later recruite

Andrew Philipp to serve as President.

The company produces glass writing

boards that are gaining in popularity overtraditional whiteboards. The Clarus model

is thinner than but as strong and durable

as conventional whiteboards, and it blends

more easily and aesthetically into corporate

surroundings.

Today, Clarus has more than 100

employees, has achieved signicant revenue

growth since 2012 and is recognized by

industry-leading associations and publication

for its innovative product design.

Scott C. Mueller

Dean Mueller Rincon Philipp Whites

Exceptional Special Edition November 2015 17

Category: Distribution and Manufacturing


20/68

SafetyfirstAward winner_David Royce Founder & CEO

Alterra

Provo, UT

Founded: 2012

hile a student at Brigham Young University, David Royce accepted a

summer job in California selling pest control products door to door. His rst

week was a bust, with zero sales.

By the time he returned to college, it was a different story. Through

perseverance and absorbing everything he could about the business, Royce

had racked up more sales than any of the other summer staffers.

The lessons of those early days, rened over the years, have served him

well in more than three years as CEO of Alterra, one of the fastest-growing

companies in the US pest control industry.

Royce founded the company with three particular principles in mind:

provide the best, most ecologically sensitive products; establish high-quality

training programs that translate to superior client service; and create a workenvironment that’s fun for everyone and structured to retain talented staff.

“I wanted to make my business a place where people really wanted to

work,” he says. “Not just a business to make money or build a résumé, but a

place that’s fun and people really enjoy where they work.”

Royce concedes that pest control wasn’t at the top of the career list before

graduation from BYU. “I thought I was going to do venture capital,” he

recalls, “but an old boss came to me and said, ‘You should do this; you are

really good at this. Don’t go and work 100 hours a week for someone else.’ ”

Advice taken. Royce started his rst pest control business right out of

school, using money saved from working his way through college. “I had

lived frugally; I took everything I made and put it into the company,” he says.

Part of his philosophy has been to not rely on banks or outside investors tosubsidize his businesses; he prefers to retain nancial and creative control.

Royce continued to rene his business model with the launch of EcoFirst

in 2009. EcoFirst was his rst national venture, expanding into 10 states

west of the Mississippi River and serving nearly 100,000 customers before

it was sold.

And in founding Alterra, from the Latin for “all” and “earth,” Royce was

guided by lessons he picked up as a young salesperson. The concerns of

homeowners about the toxicity of pest control products and the potential

safety threats to their children and their pets left a lasting impression.


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“I wanted to make my businessa place where people reallywanted to work. Not just abusiness to make money orbuild a résumé, but a placethat’s fun and people really

enjoy where they work.”

Emerging

19


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Alterra expects to pass an annual revenue milestone. “Cracking the

$100 million mark will be pretty exciting,” he says.

The business currently consists of residential and commercial pest

services, but there are plans to expand into termite control, lawn care

and other services over the next decade. Royce’s goal is to become the

largest privately held pest control business in North America by 2020.

“We’re growing like gangbusters,” he said. “It’s exciting, with more

people wanting to take advantage of opportunities.”

“I heard it over and over again, about

ecology and safety,” he says.

Today, the company uses the most

progressive products with the lowest levels of

toxicity available. Alterra is a member of the

EPA’s Pesticide Environmental Stewardship

Program, which accepts organizations adhering

to a higher standard of ecological practices.

As for the emphasis on fun: if creating a

thoroughly modern headquarters in Provo, UT —

complete with a full-length basketball court,

golf simulator, movie room, and foosball and

pool tables — is Royce’s idea of an enjoyable

work environment, he’s not alone. It’s more

Silicon Valley than conventional ofce.

“When people come into our ofce,

they think it’s a technology company or an

advertising company, not a pest control

company,” Royce says. “It looks young,

millennial, fun.”

While the Alterra business model is centered

on delivering safe products and executing

a smart strategy, its cultural roots are the

10 core values developed by the company’s

more than 1,000 employees. They include

“Elevate the Tribe,” a call for positive team

and family spirit, the “Platinum Rule” that

counsels employees to treat customers the way

they would want to be treated, and “All Ears

on Deck” to make sure employees are always

listening and learning.

It’s an essential part of the company’s DNA,

Royce says.

One sign that the emphasis on culture is

succeeding is Alterra’s 96% year-over-year

employee retention rate.

“You really want to create a family, a home,

for your employees,” he said. “I think we’vedone that.”

Since its 2012 launch, Alterra has reported

a 300% growth in revenue and projects a total of

300,000 customers by the end of the year. The

company has been ranked as the fastest-growing

pest control company in the country by PCT

Magazine, an industry publication.

The 38-year-old married father of two is

committed to expanding the business. In 2016,

“To be honest, at first I wasn’t very excited about being in the pest control business.

It’s a very old business, blue collar, not a whole lot of innovation. But we took

an environmentally responsible approach to it and injected a new kind of company culture.”

10 The number of articulated coreprinciples that employees live by

20,000 The field of industry competitorswhen David Royce started Alterra

19 Where Alterra currently ranks inthe US pest control industry

96

Year-over-year employee retention

rate percentage


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f inalists

Jeff ChurchSuja Juice

CEO

San Diego, CA | Founded: 2012

Jeff Church, CEO of Suja Juice, would be the

rst to admit the idea of drinking green juice

with blended kale, apple and lemon was

less than appealing.

More than three years into his tenure,he’s come around. A private equity pro

with a history of turning around struggling

companies, Church has helped drive Suja’s

growth through distribution deals and an

industry-leading production breakthrough.

A distribution deal with Whole Foods

Market gave Suja high visibility and a

prominent platform for future growth.

Its production innovation — high-pressure

processing — extends shelf life and

maintains essential nutrients, vitamins

and enzymes longer.Despite substantial national growth,

the company still operates almost

exclusively from its Southern California

base. Its emphasis is on the expanding

market of customers who’ve embraced

health consciousness in their food and drink

products. Suja’s workforce certainly reects

that level of youthful vitality. Of its 200 or

so employees, only 5 were over the age of

40 at the beginning of 2015.

Adam Hepworth Jamberry

CEO

Lindon, UT | Founded: 2010

Adam Hepworth’s entrepreneurial spirit

has taken him from building a landscaping

business to launching a ski manufacturing

company. His philosophy? ”Always be open to

whatever comes your way.”When his sister-in-law returned one day

from a favorite nail salon raving about a vinyl

application, Hepworth had a thought — how

about developing a business that provides

an at-home version of what’s available at

salons? He didn’t know much about nails, but

his knowledge of custom printing and vinyl

applications would come in handy.

Hepworth worked with the company’s

founders — his wife and her two sisters — to

create Jamberry. He operated from an

unheated room over the garage, developinga new type of nail wrap, a website, and a

business and distribution plan promoted

through trade show displays and in-home

demonstrations. They hired consultants to

supplement full-time staff in publicizing their

products and their vision.

What began as a family affair and a

edgling business lling about 3,000 orders

a month is now a company with a staff of 400

and a customer base in the millions.

Matt SalzbergCo-Founder and CEO

Ilia PapasCo-Founder and CTO

Matthew WadiakCo-Founder and Chief Product Officer

Blue Apron

New York, NY | Founded: 2012

The best meals are a precise blend of

complementary ingredients prepared from a

superior recipe. The same could be said for

companies hungry to make an impression in

an underserved market.

Enter Blue Apron, which delivers healthy,

high-quality ingredients to customers for the

convenient preparation of home-cooked mea

Its founders were drawn from different

professional backgrounds, but they are

bound by a common vision — and their ownpersonal frustration at not having access to

affordable, easy-to-prepare home meals with

top-shelf ingredients. Blue Apron meals are

planned based on customer needs, helping to

eliminate the middle distributor and cut dow

on food waste.

The company currently has about 3 million

customers and sharply rising revenues that

will support its expanding network of farms

and suppliers.

Salzberg Papas Wadiak


Category: Emerging


24/68

The energy to change

Award winner_Eric Dee Long

CEO

USA Compression

Austin, TX

Founded: 1998

ric Dee Long moved 17 times before he nished high school. That’s right: 17 times.To say his itinerant youth had an impact on his personality — not to mention his

character, his tenacity, his resilience and his drive — is like saying nothing succeeds

like success. The truth is self-evident.

“My dad worked for a major corporation,” Long explains. “I was forced to meet a

lot of people.” The effect, he says, was simple: “I extroverted.” It is not surprising that

he turns the noun into a verb. After all, everything about him suggests action.

As a fth-grader, Long started his own business laminating ID cards for his

schoolmates. He also mowed lawns. And as soon as he was able to secure a work

permit — his 16th birthday — he got a job at a bicycle and lawn mower repair shop.

“My mom and dad instilled a work ethic in me,” he says. “I was always exposed to

nancial things.”

Inspired by his high school teachers in suburban Cleveland — one of his manystops along the way before college — Long developed a love of biology, chemistry,

math and science. He decided to pursue a degree in Biomedical Engineering at

Texas A&M University.

In college, he discovered that an even better combination of interests —

probabilities, statistics and economic analysis — came together in the eld of

petroleum engineering. He switched majors. “I graduated in 1980 and never

looked back,” he says.

Long was fascinated by the drilling, production and reservoir aspects of the eld.

Today, he sits on the Advisory Board of the Department of Petroleum Engineering at

A history of moving from one challenge to another

provided Eric Dee Long with the adaptive power to create

USA Compression and transform it into an industry leader.

Energy, Cleantechand Natural Resources

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“When things get tough,

you have tobring in the best.

What we havebeen able to dois outhustle our

competitors.”



26/68

from the start, as well as during an early

period when a negative balance sheet

required an additional funding infusion.

Long likewise is passionate about — and

profoundly grateful for — the men and

women who make, sell and service the

company’s products.

“What really makes us successful is the

empowerment of our workforce,” Long

says, pointing out that USA Compression

provides some 450 jobs, many of them

in lower-economic environments. He

says four “Pillars of Excellence” keep

the company strong, and the rst one is

people. The others: equipment, culture

and service.

“We’re like the Navy SEALS,” Long

says. “When things get tough, you have to

bring in the best. What we have been able

to do is outhustle our competitors.”

He is proud of the company’s service

technicians who must run “24/7/365.”

Long says the company is good to them,

and in turn they are good to the company.

“We provide really good jobs in small

towns,” he says. “From service techs to senior management,

we make it a place where people want to be.”

Long characterizes the company’s workforce as individuals

who embody the entrepreneurial spirit and personify common

sense. They possess an “incredible work ethic” and integrity

beyond reproach. “Their work is their bond,” he says.

At 57, Long nds himself growing increasingly reective

about the blessings of success and family, including his wife,

two sons and a granddaughter.Under his leadership, USA Compression has a history of

supporting the communities where the company operates.

This includes a partnership with Texas Advocacy Project,

which provides legal assistance to women and children

in crisis.

Long says he sees himself as his company’s “chief

storyteller.” And the story he tells is one in which the

entrepreneurial spirit still functions as the major theme.

“We’re just getting started,” he says.

his alma mater. He is part of a network of like-minded

graduates who are close associates and friends.

Before founding USA Compression in 1998, Long

served in a variety of managerial roles in the oil and gas

industry. Among his career achievements, he aided in

the restructuring of a major gas pipeline company and

cofounded a compression services company.The entrepreneurial spirit that rst showed itself in

fth grade went into overdrive when Long realized that

industry conditions were changing rapidly. He sought an

opportunity to build quality compression equipment. With

the funding support of a highly successful Caterpillar dealer,

he founded USA Compression and implemented an organic

growth plan to build equipment designed to better adapt to

climatic conditions.

His vision proved to be crystal clear. USA Compression

is now one of the top public independent providers of

compression services, with a diverse customer base made

up of producers, processors, gatherers and transporters ofnatural gas.

He is the rst to say that he accomplished none of this

alone. “I’m the original founder of a business that is now

a New York Stock Exchange publicly traded company,”

Long says. “But it isn’t, quote, ‘my company.’ A lot of times

entrepreneurs let their egos get in the way. They use the ‘I’

word instead of the ‘we’ word. It is a team, not just one guy.”

In particular, he cites Caterpillar dealer Randy Engstrom

for the support, condence and guidance Engstrom provided

“From service techs to senior management,we make it a place where people want to be.”

10 Annual growth rate percentage incompany’s first decade2 Multiple in size since January 2013 IPO

450 Number of employees25 Average years of energy experience onmanagement team


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f inalists

Donald YoungHoover Group, Inc.

Chairman & CEO

Houston, TX | Founded: 1911

Donald Young attended public schools in

Corpus Christi, TX, and was recruited to play

quarterback at Harvard University. In 2008

he became CEO of Hoover Group, where he

ultimately led a management buyout amid aglobal recession.

At the time, Hoover was a struggling

portfolio company, mainly supplying

intermediate bulk containers to deepwater

oil rigs. Young immediately began making

transformational changes. He moved

the entire business to Houston and, after

organizing a management buyout, invested h

life savings in Hoover and took ownership of

75% of the company.

In the seven years since, Hoover’s employe

base has gone from about 60 to morethan 280, and the company has expanded

internationally. In 2014, Hoover sold 75% of

its ownership to First Reserve, and the origin

investors were rewarded at close to 70 times

their original investment. Young accomplishe

all this with a management philosophy based

on immersing himself in all aspects of the

business. He says one of the most personally

satisfying aspects of his job has been to see

the people around him grow.

M. Kevin McEvoyOceaneering International, Inc.

CEO


A former US Navy ofcer who worked in

the areas of diving, salvage and submarine

rescue, Kevin McEvoy attributes much of

his success to saying “yes” to challenges.

After earning his bachelor’s degreeand MBA, he joined Solus Ocean Systems,

which was acquired by Oceaneering

International in 1984. All told he’s been

with the company for 36 years and has

served as CEO for the past 4.

Oceaneering grew from an air and mixed

gas diving business in the Gulf of Mexico

into a global oileld provider of engineered

services and products primarily to the

offshore oil and gas industry. Oceaneering

also serves the defense, entertainment and

aerospace industries.Since 2012, under McEvoy’s tenure,

annual revenues have grown 32%. The

company enjoys a 59% market share on

all oating drilling rigs in service. Among

the factors in the company’s success is

McEvoy’s high level of engagement in day-

to-day activities. Demonstrating the sense

of ownership and accountability that is the

mark of an entrepreneur, he often is the

rst person in and the last to leave.

John B. WalkerEnerVest, Ltd.

Chief Executive Officer


John Walker established himself as a

leader at a young age through involvement

in high school and college student

government. A US Navy veteran who

served during the Vietnam War, he wenton to earn his undergraduate degree

at Texas Tech University and his MBA at

New York University.

Walker started his career covering

the energy sector as an equity research

analyst. As someone who measured

nancial success based on risk-adjusted

return, he took a bold step in leaving his

Wall Street career to become an oil and gas

entrepreneur when he founded EnerVest.

One of the largest oil and gas companies

in the US, EnerVest manages more than36,000 wells in 15 states, has 6 million

acres under lease and is the sixth-largest

gas producer in Texas.

Walker believes in hiring the best talent,

giving autonomy to the workforce and

rewarding professional achievements. He

is a contrarian, moving from an oil-heavy

asset portfolio to a gas-heavy portfolio while

the market in general has been favoring a

move to a portfolio heavy in liquid assets.


25

Category: Energy, Cleantech and Natural Resources


28/68

“I never thought about whether

I was ready. You play the cardsthe way they are dealt.”

Family

Business


26


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Taking chances

to succeed Award winner_Andrew D. Peykoff II

President & CEO

Niagara Bottling, LLC

Ontario, CA

Founded: 1963

ow is this for intense family involvement? Andy Peykoff personally

presided over the birth of his only son in the front seat of the family car.

It all happened on the side of the road when he and his wife, Jaime,

didn’t quite make it to the hospital for what was anticipated to be a more

conventional delivery of their fourth child.

The next day, he wrote an email recounting the episode to family andfriends. He concluded it simply: “All in a day’s work, my friends. All in a

day’s work.”

That pretty much sums up Peykoff’s approach to whatever is thrown

at him, both personally and professionally, and is emblematic of his

approach to life. He is focused on family and is known for doing things,

well, differently.

So when his father suffered a stroke and could no longer run the family

business, Niagara Bottling, it was in character for Andy — the seventh of

eight children himself — to step up and take over. Never mind that he was

just 26.

“I never thought about whether I was ready,” he says. “You play the

cards the way they are dealt. I told my dad, ‘I’ll take it from here.’ ”That was 13 years ago. Since his rst year in charge, Peykoff has

multiplied Niagara’s revenues by 38. The company is now the nation’s

largest private-label bottled water supplier with 2,600 employees and

19 production facilities throughout the US.

True to character, Peykoff accomplished this feat by building the Niagara

Bottling team his own way. He surrounded himself with sharp young

people, many of whom knew nothing at all about the water business. “You

want people who are bright, hard-working and passionate,” he explains.

“That’s more important than a résumé.”

When his father suffered a stroke, Andy Peykoff,at age 26, took the helm of Niagara Bottling.He attributes the company’s enormous success toa business strategy built on his willingness to fail.


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At 39, Peykoff now leads a large company that retains its

small-company mindset. “It’s a culture that has worked,” he says.

“The entrepreneurial spirit is not found in just one person. The

entrepreneurial spirit is in the whole company.”

And what precisely

is the entrepreneurial

spirit? “The

willingness to fall on

your face,” he says.

“The sense that

when you climb one

mountain, you look to

climb another. I thinkgreat entrepreneurs

foster that kind of mentality throughout the company.”

Even as Niagara has grown under his leadership, Peykoff’s

commitment to family remains paramount. Last year, he

spearheaded the creation of Niagara Cares, which supports

initiatives geared toward serving disadvantaged children and

their families.

“I have a soft spot in my heart for kids,” he says. “The smile of a

child — there’s nothing better.”

The Southern Methodist University graduate also

believes strongly in the importance of teamwork, leading

him to gravitate toward individuals who were involved in

high school or college athletics. Peykoff earned his own

sports bona des as a Junior Olympic

athlete who played for championship

volleyball teams at Corona del Mar

High School and the Balboa Bay

Volleyball Club in Southern California.

“Athletes are used to ups

and downs,” he says. “They are

competitive, and they look at how

to get the job done. In business, we

might make something great, but we

continually have to nd ways to make

it better. We’re competitive not in the

sense of being cutthroat but in the

sense that everybody wants to win.”

A sense of loyalty and belonging

is important, too. All six of his direct

reports today were hired around the

time he took over.

“We are very growth-oriented, and

we are very teamwork-oriented,” he

says. “There are not a lot of walls. We

have a sense of urgency. Our mentality

not only has a lot to do with how we

relate to our customers but also how we

relate to those in the manufacturing and

engineering space.”

Peykoff says this mentality promotes

innovative thinking and risk-taking.“It’s perfectly OK in our company if you

fail,” he says, adding that the practice

of trying and failing often leads to

ultimate victory. One example of this

trial-and-error route to success is the

company’s creation of the “nested pack,”

which increases the density of packages

and accommodates 17% more bottles

per pallet.

“That has eliminated more than a

million pallets a year,” he says. “Those

sorts of things are important. Penniesmean everything in our world. A penny a

case is worth $9 million a year to us.”

Such strides prompt the sincerest form of attery.

“Our competitors always copy us,” he boasts.

And well they should. The company was the rst to

manufacture its own caps, and some 70% of the plastic

has been taken out of its bottle since Peykoff assumed

leadership. Today, Niagara has the lightest bottles,

lightest caps and fastest lines in the industry.

“The entrepreneurial spirit is not found in

just one person. The entrepreneurialspirit is in the whole company.”

2,600 Number of employees nationwide19 Number of production facilities

7 Weight in grams of half-literbottle (down from 23)

8

Number of bottle iterationsin a recent six-month period


28


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f inalists

Edward Weisiger, Jr.CTE

President and CEO

Charlotte, NC | Founded: 1926

Edward Weisiger was encouraged to start in

the family business at an early age. Summer

jobs pulling parts from warehouse shelves in

the North Carolina heat can be discouraging,

but he saw it as a means to establish agood work ethic and to develop a solid

understanding of the people and the business

As the years passed, Weisiger became a

mechanic apprentice, working side-by-side

with technicians and listening to customers.

During college he was introduced to various

marketing and management roles. Before

joining the company full-time, he became

involved in real estate, where he learned to

deal with ethical situations.

This diverse background enabled Weisiger

to take CTE from a single-solution provider oCaterpillar equipment with 275 employees to

a diverse solutions provider with more than

1,100 employees. Over the past three years

alone, the company’s revenues have grown

by 52%. Weisiger pushes for continuous

improvement while keeping the company

light and nimble enough to handle change.

He holds CTE and himself to high ethical and

moral standards, where accountability and

customer focus are paramount.

Robert M. BeallBeall’s, Inc.

Chairman

Bradenton, FL | Founded: 1915

While countless family business leaders

can boast that they worked their way

up, Robert Beall has a different story: he

worked his way in. At the age of 10, he

was washing windows at his grandfather’sstore. Today, the youthful window washer

is — dare we say it? — cleaning up in the

department and outlet store business.

Beall’s grandfather started the

company 100 years ago as a small dry

goods store with no item priced over $1.

The company had grown to seven stores

by 1970 when Beall’s father asked his

son to return to Bradenton, FL, home

of the rst store where the boy had

washed windows. Ten years later, Beall

became CEO.Beall’s was the rst retailer in Florida to

introduce outlet stores. E-commerce was

introduced in 2000 when kiosks were put

in the stores. This focus on innovation

while adhering to the company’s

core principles of fair treatment and

affordable merchandise has proved to be

a powerful formula for success. Beall’s

now operates more than 530 retail store

sites across the southern and eastern US.

Lou GentineChairman

Louie GentineCEO

Sargento Foods Inc.Plymouth, WI | Founded: 1953

Though Sargento Foods has been in the

Gentine family for more than 60 years,there’s no birthright to leadership. Lou

Gentine and his son Louie reached the top the

old-fashioned way: they earned it. Company

rules insist on it: family members must work

outside Sargento for at least three years, jobs

are not created for family members, company

leadership is elected, and every corporate

ofcer must have a college degree.

Sargento, a leading marketer of retail

branded and sliced natural cheeses, has

beneted from this insistence on performance

over privilege. One of the keys to theGentines’ success has been their strategy to

treat advertising and product development

as a xed cost, not as a nancial lever to

meet goals.

Father and son continue the entrepreneurial

spirit established by the company patriarch

when he opened a small cheese shop behind

his main business, a funeral home. They

have grown the company to more than

1,700 employees.

LouieGentine

LouGentine


Category: Family Business


32/68

Foresight,

20 / 20Award winner_Alfred P. West, Jr.Chairman & CEOSEIOaks, PA

Founded: 1968

l West’s rst foray into business was markedly different than where he is now as

Chairman & CEO of SEI. At the age of 14, West launched a lawn service on behalf of

local banks. It was, he recalls, the rst time he worked with bank trust departments.

“I mowed lawns for people in Winter Park, Florida,” explains West, who counts

aviator and test pilot General Chuck Yeager among his childhood heroes. “When

the snowbirds left for the season, their houses were often left in the hands of the bank.

They gave me something like 10 or 12 houses to take care of.”

After high school, West pursued his dream of becoming a pilot. He enrolled at theGeorgia Institute of Technology as an aeronautical engineering student and Air Force

ROTC cadet. Then, as it often does, fate stepped in. While West was still a cadet, his

eyesight deteriorated to 20/30. This disqualied him from the Air Force and scuttled his

ying ambitions.

“So I had to change course,” West says. “I had gured I was going to y for ve years

and then start a business. I always wanted to start a business. So I switched that around.”

In short order West proved that although his eyesight may not have been perfect,

his “vision” certainly was. After completing his undergraduate coursework in Georgia,

he headed to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he pursued

his PhD.

During his time at Wharton, West spent his summers working for major aerospace

rms. While there, he “learned what not to do,” he recalls. “These were enormous rms,and I learned that aero was not going to give many entrepreneurial openings, being

dominated by the very, very large defense contractors.”

West turned to the world of nance. He and two fellow PhD students created a

computerized simulation that included 50 case studies on loans. Knowing he was on to

something, West took the loan case study to the credit department of the then-largest

bank in town, which bought it.

“This was the start of SEI,” notes West. “[It] basically taught people how to lend

money. Each study was designed to teach something about accounting and cash ow.

It was sold to about 55 banks.”

Less-than-perfect eyesight kept Al West fromthe Air Force, but his vision was perfect whenit came to creating the SEI model.


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move SEI forward with the introduction of new products and services.

“We have a new platform to be provided to our clients,” West says.

“We’re also creating an enterprise system for money managers. We are

actually in the process of re-strategizing. About every 10 years we kind of

reinvent the company.”

Today SEI employs approximately 2,700 people in locations around

the world, including its Oaks, PA, headquarters and ofces in Canada,

Hong Kong, Ireland, the Netherlands, South Africa, the United Arab

Emirates and the UK.

Today SEI is a leading global provider

of investment processing, investment

management and investment operations

solutions. Its offerings help corporations,

nancial institutions and advisors, and

ultra-high-net-worth families create and

manage wealth.

Although the initial program was extremely

popular, the edgling company ran out of

potential customers. To sustain and grow the

business, West next focused on bank trust

departments and “built a trust system around

real-time computing. It was very advanced,”

he says. With sustained energy and drive,

West spent the next 10 years automating

trust departments.

Since SEI’s inception, West’s vision has led

the company in anticipating changing market

needs and creating innovative business

solutions to serve its clients. Case in point:

The SEI Wealth Platform, which serves as

a stand-alone solution delivering wealth

managers the infrastructure, operations andadministrative support necessary to achieve

their strategic objectives. It supports trading

and transactions on 131 stock exchanges in

50 countries and 35 currencies.

West’s experiences working at aerospace

companies helped him create the physical

structure of SEI today. At those companies

he found that the workspace setup often

affected executive teaming and decision

making. At SEI, West has eliminated all

trappings of status. All furniture is on

wheels so workspaces may be altered tomatch changing projects. Cables hang from

the ceiling to provide power and mobility

to each workstation, and artwork lls SEI’s

ofces worldwide.

Throughout SEI’s more-than-40-year history,

West’s mission has remained constant: to

help clients achieve success by developing

consistently relevant solutions delivered through

outstanding client experience. He continues to

“About every 10 yearswe kind of reinvent

the company.”

The SEI Wealth Platform supports tradin

and transactions on 131 stock exchanges

in 50 countries and 35 currencies

Photo © 2015 SEI


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f inalists

Jonathan SteinbergWisdomTree Investments, Inc.

CEO and President


Drawing on his passion for nancial services

and his belief that exchange-traded funds

(ETFs) would eventually overtake traditional

mutual funds, in 2004 Jonathan Steinberg

founded WisdomTree Investments.While more conventional providers base

their approach on market-cap-weighted

indexes, Steinberg worked with a colleague

to create the dividend-weighted indexes that

form the basis of WisdomTree’s platform. The

company bases its business on two guiding

principles: offering full transparency and

delivering better nancial information to

its clients.

WisdomTree’s difference in market

approach meant the Securities and Exchange

Commission took years to grant Steinbergapproval, but an uninching belief in his visio

and a determination to succeed carried him

through the wait, as well as other tough time

that included an initial lack of funding and th

2008 nancial crisis.

The company has since prospered.

WisdomTree says for the past eight years

ETFs have overtaken inows to traditional

mutual funds, capturing more than half of al

dollars invested.

Noah BreslowOnDeck

CEO


Noah Breslow believes that wisely applied

technology solves complicated problems.

Through several ventures in software and

satellite telecommunications, he’s developed

a keen understanding on what makes a goodbusiness model.

In just ve years at OnDeck, Breslow led

several divisions and then became CEO. The

company’s primary focus is helping small

businesses access capital. As a result of

his work, the company secured sources of

capital and won key strategic partnerships

with banks and other large nancial

companies.

OnDeck’s advanced analytics, proprietary

credit scoring and outstanding customer

service have made it an industry leader. Itscustomized application allows decisions

to be made in minutes and funding to be

available in a day.

In 2014, OnDeck experienced 142%

year-over-year revenue growth, but

challenges remain. To reach the untapped

market of more than 28 million small

business owners in the country, OnDeck

is investing in direct marketing to build its

brand and educate potential customers.

Kenneth LinCredit Karma

CEO and Founder

San Francisco, CA | Founded: 2007

While working in the credit card industry

in the late 1990s, Kenneth Lin saw the

possibility for a business in that space to

have both a social focus and workable

business model. This vision led him to createCredit Karma.

To educate its consumers about personal

nancial management, Credit Karma offers

a number of tools including credit report

cards, a credit advice center, nancial

product reviews and free credit monitoring,

among many others. The company matches

its members’ credit proles with better

nancial service products, helping banks

target relevant consumers.

Although Credit Karma was founded

just as the nancial crisis was grippingthe country, Lin kept true to his vision,

persevering with strict nancial discipline

and support from investors, family

and friends.

Now protable, Credit Karma boasts

some 35 million users representing a

20% market penetration. Lin’s goal is to

achieve 100 million users, scaling company

resources while offering more nancial

vehicle options.


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Category: Financial Services


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“We say bigpharma makesa smalldifference inlarge patientpopulations,but we want tomake a bigdifference in a

small patientpopulation.”

Life

Sciences

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Tenacity, with a global perspective

Award winner_ Jean-Jacques Bienaimé

Chairman and CEO

BioMarin Pharmaceutical

Novato, CA

Founded: 1996

oving from one country to another while growing up served to educate and ultimately

provide a mission for Jean-Jacques Bienaimé, Chairman and CEO of BioMarin

Pharmaceutical.His father worked as a mining engineer, moving on behalf of his employer from

country to country. Born in a small town in France, Bienaimé rst moved to Italy, then

Sardinia, before moving to Iraq and farther aeld. At one point in his education, he

recalls, “I spent my rst quarter in Tunisia, second quarter in Paris and third quarter in

Senegal.” Eventually he graduated with a BA in Economics from the Ecole Supérieure

de Commerce de Paris. After moving to the US, he earned an MBA from the Wharton

School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Bienaimé’s travels brought him understanding and sensitivity to others. “As I moved

around the world, I got perspective on the need to be exible,” he says. “There are

very many cultures, and people look at the world in many different ways.”

In his 25 years working within the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries,

Bienaimé’s entrepreneurial drive has been recognized and rewarded. “I almost wentto medical school,” he explains, “and would probably have the same job but have

had a different path to get here. I was always interested in medicine. I lived in those

countries where there was a lot of suffering. I wanted to share and to be involved with

something where I would make a difference for a lot of people.”

Learning as he went, Bienaimé achieved remarkable success at a number of

companies. In his job just before joining BioMarin, he was Chairman, CEO and

President of a company focused on industrial bioproducts and targeted cancer

biotherapeutics. He increased its revenues dramatically, an accomplishment that

eventually resulted in its sale at a substantial value.

BioMarin Chairman and CEO Jean-JacquesBienaimé credits his global perspective to aglobe-hopping childhood.


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For Bienaimé, innovation is the key to company success.

BioMarin currently has ve drugs on the market for which there

are no direct competitors. His knowledge and ability to describe

the benets of BioMarin’s experimental therapies for rare

diseases have garnered FDA approval for every product. These

approvals have come in 5 years, whereas the industry average

is 10 years.

Bienaimé attracts employees who share his vision for

developing therapies that make a difference in the lives of

patients. “You have to create an environment in building a

company that will allow people to succeed and thrive and do things

they didn’t even think they would be able to do,” he explains.

In the past, BioMarin was known for small, successful

acquisitions. “Most recently,” says Bienaimé, “the company madea big acquisition that brought a line of products for muscular

dystrophy.” He looks forward to gaining FDA approval of those

products by the end of the year and launching them next year in

the US and Europe.

BioMarin has a direct commercial presence in 55 countries

around the world. Its next move is to expand the size of its

commercial international organization with the same enthusiasm,

tenacity, resilience and perseverance that have led to Bienaimé’s

and BioMarin’s success from the start.

When the opportunity came for Bienaimé to join

BioMarin, many of his colleagues advised that moving would

not be in his best interest. With entrepreneurial insight and

fervor, he joined the company.

“BioMarin was not in great shape when I joined,” he

remembers. “It was running out of money and moving in

an unfortunate direction. My sense was that all of these

problems were xable. I realized there were good assets

that could be managed. But there were a few decisions to

be made quickly to save the company, which I did. We

downsized by a third and raised money.”

BioMarin specializes in developing treatment for rare

and ultra-rare diseases. These “orphan diseases” are

dened as having small patient populations of 200,000

or fewer.

“We are very patient-centric,” explains Bienaimé. The

company is very close to the patient community, supporting

it in many different ways to improve access to treatment

and offer nancial support for treatment.

“We say big pharma makes a small difference in largepatient populations,” he says, “but we want to make a big

difference in a small patient population. That’s how we

position ourselves.”

Under his leadership, BioMarin spends much less than

industry standards in getting its drugs to market. This is due

to Bienaimé’s strategic decision to attack diseases that are

very well understood and therefore have a high probability

of success. He is also focused and driven to pursue only

drugs that are either rst-in-class or best-in-class.

“You have to create anenvironment … thatwill allow people tosucceed and thrive

and do things theydidn’t even think theywould be able to do.”

5 Drugs on the market55 Countries where BioMarinhas a commercial presence


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f inalists

Tim WalbertHorizon Pharma

Chairman, President & CEO

Deerfield, IL | Founded 2005

Being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease

lends special impetus to Tim Walbert’s efforts

at Horizon Pharma. As a patient he appreciat

how having access to meaningful therapies ca

improve someone’s daily life; as an executivehe appreciates making that access happen.

Walbert honed his skills in sales, marketing

and the understanding of product life

cycles at such companies as Abbott and

G.D. Searle, Merck & Co. before sharpening h

entrepreneurial, leadership and managemen

style at a series of biotech start-ups. He

joined the Horizon Board in 2008. Walbert’s

leadership skills were quickly recognized, and

he was soon asked to head the company.

At the time, the company only produced

Duexis, a combination drug used to treatarthritis. Today Horizon has seven commercia

drugs, including a pain reliever aimed at

reducing the risk of stomach ulcers.

Walbert encourages employees to take risk

with positive results. For example, at a sales

representative’s suggestion, the company

developed its Prescriptions-Made-Easy

program, which delivers physician-prescribed

products directly to a patient’s home within

24 hours.

Charles DunlopCo-founder & CEO

James DunlopCo-founder, President, CCO & Interim CEO

Ambry GeneticsAliso Viejo, CA | Founded: 1999

Absent outside funding and supporting

operations and expansion purely on revenue,Charles Dunlop and James Dunlop maintain

nancial independence for Ambry Genetics, a

medical diagnostics services provider.

With Ambry, the brothers maximize

their complementary abilities — Charles

in establishing and managing laboratories

in major research, manufacturing and

technology transfer environments, and

James in his technical and operational skills.

Ambry began as a genetic testing

laboratory. Its rst test sequenced the gene

that causes cystic brosis; it now offershundreds of panel

Documents

2015_Entrepreneur of the Year