Finalists announced for 2022 Spirit of the Entrepreneur Awards 20th Anniversary event!

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif., September 30, 2022 -- The Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship (IECE) at Cal State San Bernardino announced the finalists for the 20th anniversary celebration of the Spirit of the Entrepreneur Awards program. 28 entrepreneurs were selected from a pool of over 200 nominees. 33 semi-finalists participated in a reception on September 29 sponsored by RP&B CPAs, where they interacted with the event judges. Immediately following the reception, the judges convened and selected the 28 finalists. The finalists for the event will compete for the Spirit of the Entrepreneur award in seven (7) different categories at the 20th annual awards black-tie gala on November 17 at the Riverside Convention Center in Riverside. Winners will be announced at the event.

The 2022 Inland Empire entrepreneurial finalists include:

• Modern Pro Solutions, Bobby Tetsch - Chino
• Quality Marble & Granite, Evan Cohen - Ontario
• Reliable Source, Inc., Ronald Stockwell - Fontana

• Chino Commercial Bank, Dann Bowman/Melba Buenafe-Rey - Chino
• Elite Tax Partners, Nicole Albrecht - Temecula
• Elizabeth's Insurance Services, Inc., Elizabeth Rodriguez - Moreno Valley
• Goldamity Insurance Services Inc., Elvia J. Rodriguez - Grand Terrace

• Caravanserai Project, Mihai Patru - Palm Springs
• Forefront Construction Services / Winv Inc., Todd Wohrman - Corona
• Freeway Trucks and Vans Inc., John B Palmieri - Corona
• Koury Engineering& Testing, Inc., Michele Shams - Chino

• American Fire Glass, Matt Doll - Lake Elsinore
• Phenix Technology, Inc., Angel Sanchez, Jr. - Riverside
• RISCO, Incorporated, Joseph & Lisa Frainee - Beaumont
• SignFastic, Grace Bays - Ontario
• The Ollie World, Hindi Zeidman - Rancho Cucamonga

• A&G Infusion Nursing Services, Angelica Maria Gonzalez - Moreno Valley
• Mountain View Services, Inc., Eric L. Goodman - Redlands
• Precision Material Handling Inc., Robert G Ybarra - Banning

• Cali Auto Glass, Ambar Martinez - Victorville
• NextGen Flight Academy Inc., Brandon Martini - Riverside
• Renewing Hope Family Counseling Center, Inc., Cassondra Marie Rose - Murrieta
• Ruff & Ready Moving, John Ruff - Temecula

• Qwiktarp Inc., Michael Jones - Palm Springs
• Roses Say, Rose Study - Chino Hills
• StarNav LLC, Joshua Morales - Riverside
• Things They Love, LLC, Victoria Chediak - Riverside

TICKETING

Attendees can BOOK TICKETS ONLINE HERE with direct seat selection for the 2022 Spirit of the Entrepreneur Awards gala event. Ticket prices for the black-tie event range from $145 to $185 each.

Spirit Awards Event Features

Commencing at 5:00 p.m. on November 17th, attendees will experience either a Gala, Preview or VIP reception, stellar event entertainment, awards presentations, and an exclusive after party! Ticket are on sale now!

The Best of the Best Award. Sponsored by Best, Best & Krieger, LLP
The top entrepreneur from among the evenings award recipients that best exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit will take home the 2022 Best of the Best award.

Witness 90-second business pitches from competing student finalists. Audience members cast their votes for the best business idea through a live voting poll to determine which students will walk away with the top cash prizes.

The top female entrepreneur from among the finalists that demonstrates exceptional leadership, vision and risk taking to create a unique business.

Entertainment
Upcoming entertainment guest stars are always an anticipated reveal during the gala. Past events have included top flight entertainment such as: Rock Legend Eddie Money, Ekenah Claudin-Transcending Box, and Gregory Adamson- Facing the Music Performance Artistry.

VIP Reception Sponsored by City National Bank an RBC Company

A portion of the proceeds from the Spirit of the Entrepreneur event benefit the Spirit of the Entrepreneur Scholarship established by Dr. Mike Stull, Director of Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship at California State University, San Bernardino. The scholarship is awarded to vetted and deserving entrepreneurship students in order to assist them in achieving their degree. Since inception, the fund has provided over $225,000 in scholarship support.

• EVENT SPONSORS

  The Spirit of the Entrepreneur event is presented by the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship (IECE) and the Jack H. Brown College of Business & Public Administration at California State University San Bernardino and sponsored by a wide range of local organizations including:

• PLATINUM SPONSORS Best Best & Krieger LLP, Southern California News Group, Inland Empire Magazine, Inland Empire Business Journal, and Group 1 Productions
• GOLD SPONSORS Varner & Brandt, San Bernardino County Economic Development, US Bank, Wilson Ivanova CPAs, JP Morgan Chase, Riverside County Office of Economic Development, Union Bank and Desmond & Louis Inc.
• SILVER SPONSORS Pacific Premier Bank, City of Ontario, Pepsi, Farmers & Merchants Bank and IECF
• JUDGING RECEPTION SPONSOR Roorda, Piquet & Bessee, Inc.
• VIP RECEPTION SPONSOR - City National Bank, An RBC Company
• PREVIEW RECEPTION SPONSOR Bank of America
• AFTER PARTY SPONSOR - ROARK Financial Solutions, Inc.