26 outstanding entrepreneurs selected as finalists from a pool of more than 160 nominees!
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif., October 4, 2013 – The Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship (IECE) at Cal State San Bernardino announced the finalists for this year’s Spirit of the Entrepreneur Awards program. The award recipients will be announced at the Nov. 19 black-tie gala at the Ontario Convention Center.
"The judges had a very difficult task in selecting the finalists," said Mike Stull, director of the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship. "Once again we had some phenomenal companies that are doing really innovative things and have truly inspiring stories. Despite the economic conditions over the last few years, the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well here in the Inland Empire."
The 2013 Inland Empire entrepreneurial finalists include:
Corporate Entrepreneur
Bruce Himes - Western Water Works Supply Company - Chino Hills
Phil Kurtz - Wetmore Tool and Engineering Co. - Chino
Roger Orton - Globe Plastics - Chino
Emerging Entrepreneur
Bob Kunesh - SacTec Solar, Inc. - Palm Springs
Levi Vincent - PSTalent.com, LLC - Palm Springs
Family Business
Tony Falco - Accurate Leak Locators, Inc. - Menifee
Jae, Robert & Sue Boyd - Boyd Specialties Manufacturing - Colton
Satya Singh - Food Tech Enterprises - Corona
General Entrepreneur
Gary & Sally Myers - BMW Management - Temecula
Linda Smith - Four-D College - Colton
Kostas Vitakis - Vitco Food Services - Fontana
Manufacturing Entrepreneur
Chris Kuran - Waterstone Faucets - Murrieta
Donna Pursell - Prestige Mold, Inc. - Rancho Cucamonga
John Suhr & Steve Smith - JS Technologies Inc. - Lake Elsinore
Service-Based Entrepreneur
Dan Hill - Mach One Air Charters, Inc. - Chino
Christopher Francis - Logos Architecture, Inc. - Corona
Connie Threlkel - Goodfaith Medical Transportation Co., Inc. - San Bernardino
Small Enterprise
Joan Nguyen - MeriEducation - Riverside
C.J. Sillers & Sarah Sillers - Brewcakes - Redlands
Sandy Slade - Skillastics - Corona
Social Entrepreneur
Willa Bagwell - Animal Friends of the Valleys - Wildomar
Karen DiCarlo - Santa Claus, Inc. - San Bernardino
Terrance Stone - Young Visionaries - San Bernardino
Technology Entrepreneur
Drew Jorgenson - OmniPlatform - Riverside
Kevin Mahaffy & Eric Schmidt - EXQUADRUM, Inc. - Adelanto
Brad McDermith - Computer Options, Inc. - Redlands
The 11th Annual Spirit of the Entrepreneur Awards program is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2013 at the Ontario Convention Center. The gala includes a cocktail reception, dinner, entertainment and awards. For more information or to make reservations, call (909) 537-3708.
