Finalists Announced for Florida's 2003 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards; Award Recipients to Be Announced at Awards Banquet on June 19, 2003.

Business Editors

TAMPA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 16, 2003

Richard J. Dobkin of Ernst & Young today announced that 24 finalists for Florida's 2003 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year(R) (EOY) awards have been selected from approximately 100 nominations. Award recipients will be announced in eight categories on Thursday, June 19 at The Peabody in Orlando, FL.

The finalists for the Florida EOY awards are:

    Construction Products and Services

    David J. Burtt - Suncrest Supply Incorporated - Ft. Lauderdale
    Robert J. Trautman - Homes By Kennedy Ltd. - Deerfield Beach
    Bonnie W. Wheeler and Scott H. Wheeler - Wheeler, Inc. - Orlando

    Consumer Products and Services

    Benjamin A. Eason - Creative Loafing - Tampa
    Shane Samole - Excalibur Electronics - Miami
    Stanley R. Smith - Shoes For Crews, Inc. - West Palm Beach

    Emerging

    Mark Alessi - CrossGen Entertainment - Oldsmar
    Todd Flemming - Infrasafe, Inc. - Orlando
    Craig A. Pisaris-Henderson - FindWhat.com - Fort Myers

    Financial Services

    Steven D. Hayworth - Gibraltar Bank - Coral Gables
    Alan B. Levan - BankAtlantic - Fort Lauderdale
    Gary L. Tice - F.N.B. Corporation - Naples

    Health Sciences

    Adrian Adams - Kos Pharmaceutical, Inc. - Miami
    David Gury - Nabi Biopharmaceuticals - Boca Raton
    Tim Stocksdale and David A. Wallace - Access Diabetic Supply -
        Pompano Beach

    Manufacturing/Distribution

    E. Scott Beattie - Elizabeth Arden - Miami Lakes
    Nicholas Di Tempora - MAPEI Corporation - Deerfield Beach
    Joel G. Lehman - Florida Extruders International - Sanford

    Retail

    Christian de Berdouare' - Chicken Kitchen - North Miami
    Keith Koenig, and Kevin Koenig (posthumous) - City Furniture -
        Ft. Lauderdale
    Jose F. Navarro and Luis G. Navarro - Navarro Discount Pharmacies
        - Miami

    Technology

    Bruce Chai - Crystal Photonics - Sanford
    Ralph L. Cruz, William R. Cruz and Salomon Sredni - TradeStation
        Group, Inc. - Plantation
    John M. Schaible and Mark E.Yegge - NexTrade Holdings, Inc. -
        Clearwater

Award recipients who are selected from this group of finalists will be eligible for the overall National Entrepreneur Of The Year award, as well as several national EOY category awards. All of the national award recipients and finalists will be announced and honored at the Ernst & Young National Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards in Palm Springs, Calif., on November 22, 2003. Jay Leno will serve as master of ceremonies for the evening. Last year two Florida entrepreneurs were recognized as national award recipients. Rowland Schaefer of Claire's Stores was the Retail category award recipient and Jeno Paulucci of Luigino's, Inc. was recognized in the Master category in addition to being named the 2002 overall National Entrepreneur Of The Year.

Florida's finalists were selected by an independent panel of judges, including:

-- James H. Boyle, Managing Partner, Inflexion Partners, Orlando

-- Hugh M. Brown, Founder & CEO, Retired, BAMSI, Titusville

-- Joyce Elam, Executive Dean, College of Business

Administration, FIU, Miami

-- Mark Farrell, President & CEO, The Vestcor Companies, Inc.,

Jacksonville

-- Ira D. Kaplan, Sr. Vice President & CFO, Claire's Stores,

Inc., Pembroke Pines

-- Patricia A. McKay, Boca Raton

-- W. Scott Miller, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Lovett Miller

& Co., Tampa

-- Tom O'Neal, Director, UCF Florida Technology Incubator &

Office of Research, Orlando

-- Tom Wallace, CEO, MarketSmart Technologies, Tampa

-- Brian Wilson, Vice President, NASDAQ, New York

Reservations for the awards banquet on June 19 may be made by calling Lori Taylor of Ernst & Young at 813/225-4801 by June 12. The banquet ticket price is $125 per person or $1500 per Bronze Patron Table. Information about the awards program can also be found at http://www.ey.com/us/florida.

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards in Florida is locally sponsored by Bank of America and Marsh. Recipients of the Entrepreneur Of The Year award become lifetime members of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Hall of Fame.

Entrepreneur Of The Year(R) is a registered service mark of Ernst & Young LLP.

(a) Note to Editors: Media are invited to attend the awards banquet, and may take advantage of interview and photo opportunities. Please call Lori Taylor at 813/225-4801 as soon as possible so that a complimentary reservation can be held for a representative from your organization. Press credentials must be presented.

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