Ernst & Young LLP announced the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year^® Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia finalists. This group of outstanding entrepreneurs was selected by an independent judging panel made up of previous winners of the award, leading CEOs, private capital investors and other regional business leaders. The winners will be revealed at a gala event on June 10, 2011 at the Westin Convention Center Hotel in Pittsburgh, PA.

“These finalists create jobs in our area, encouraging community development and innovation in our broader economy,” said Kevin Pickels, Entrepreneur Of The Year Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia Program Director. “No matter who wins on June 10, we know one thing for sure – Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia are enriched by every one of these finalists.”

The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2011 Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia finalists are:

• Bryan S. Putt, President and CEO, AIReS
• Venkee Sharma, President and CEO, Aquatech International Corp.
• Christine M. Robins, CEO, BodyMedia, Inc.
• Martin Hitch, CEO, Bossa Nova Robotics, Inc.
• Sarjoun Skaff, PhD, Chief Technology Officer, Bossa Nova Robotics, Inc.
• David Palmer, Chief Strategy Officer, Bossa Nova Robotics, Inc.
• Kevin R. Jones, President, Cardinal Resources
• Dennis Ciccone, CEO, Carnegie Learning, Inc.
• Michael P. Robb, Executive Director, Center for Community Resources
• David Palmer, CEO, ClearCount Medical Solutions, Inc.
• Patrick Daly, President and CEO, Cohera Medical, Inc.
• Mark Evans, Chairman and CEO, Confluence
• Mona Pappafava-Ray, President, General Carbide
• Laura Shapira Karet, Sr. Exec VP and CSO, Giant Eagle, Inc.
• Daniel R. Hawbaker, President, Glenn O. Hawbaker, Inc.
• Leonard A. Lottig, President, ITI Trailers and Truck Bodies, Inc.
• Michael E. Bozik MD, President and CEO, Knopp Biosciences LLC
• Kurt J. Lesker III, President, Kurt J. Lesker Company
• Jeffrey Kendall, CEO, Liberty Tire Recycling
• Frank W. Alderman MD, CEO, MedExpress Urgent Care
• David Stern, President and CEO, Paris Cleaners, Inc.
• Maureen Mulvihill PhD, President, Piezo Resonance Innovations, Inc.
• William V. Day, President, St. Barnabas Health System
• John R. Tomayko PhD, President, The Tomayko Group, LLC
• James F. Getz, Chairman and CEO, TriState Capital Bank
• Mark L. Sullivan, Vice Chairman and CFO, TriState Capital Bank
• A. William Schenck, President, TriState Capital Bank
• Jason Wolfe, President and CEO, Wolfe.com

A Lifetime Achievement Award will also be given to Ron Morris, Founding Director, Entrepreneurial Studies Program, Duquesne University and Host, The American Entrepreneur Radio Program.

The Entrepreneur Of The Year Program honors entrepreneurs regionally in June, leading up to the national awards in November. Additionally, venture-backed companies that win an Entrepreneur Of The Year Award regionally are also eligible for the Entrepreneur Of The Year Venture Capital Award of Excellence on a national level. The overall National US winner then moves on to compete for the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in June.

This year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Program celebrates its 25th anniversary. The program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 140 cities and more than 50 countries throughout the world. Awards are given to entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.

All regional honorees are invited to the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards gala, hosted by Jay Leno, on November 12, 2011, in Palm Springs, California. The gala is the culminating event of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum^®, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies, which will be held November 9–13, 2011. For more information on the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum,  visit www.ey.com/us/strategicgrowthforum.