
Riverside, calif., November 15, 2016 — amid an evening networking, a surprise visit from walt disney's granddaughter and entertainment from ekenah claudin and his story box projection mapped live performance, an audience of 860 business and community leaders attended the spirit of the entrepreneur awards at the riverside convention center to celebrate and honor inland empire entrepreneurs. The annual black-tie gala event recognizes the leadership, innovation and business acumen of inland empire entrepreneurs.
This year's award recipients recognized at the black-tie gala, chosen from 28 finalists, include:
Corporate Entrepreneur
Dr. James M Lally D.O., MMM, Chino Valley Medical Center - Chino
Distribution, Logistics and Transportation Entrepreneur
Maria Thompson, Agile Sourcing Partners, Inc. - Corona
Family Business
Mark Widder, Dino Cancellieri Sr., Dino Cancellieri Jr., Randy Cancellieri, Adam Cancellieri; Veg-Fresh Farms - Corona
General Entrepreneur
Leonora Foddrill, Foddrill Construction Corp. - Chino
Innovator/Technology Entrepreneur
Saksit Suetrong, iA-ROBOTICS - Murrieta
Manufacturing Entrepreneur
Troy Lindstrom, Lynam Industries, Inc. - Fontana
Service-Based Entrepreneur
Arthur R. Rose & Timothy J. Russell, Chiro, Inc. - Bloomington
Small/Emerging Enterprise
Josephine "Fina" Meraz, Tile Designs by Fina, Inc. - Palm Desert
Social Entrepreneur
Patricia Nickols-Butler , Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County - San Bernardino
John Neiuber, Trinity Youth Services - Claremont
Best of the Best Award (top entrepreneur of the event)
Maria Thompson, Agile Sourcing Partners, Inc. - Corona
FAST PITCH COMPETITION
As part of the event festivities, the Garner Holt Student Fast Pitch Competition was held for five future entrepreneurs to deliver a 90-second pitch about their up-and-coming venture idea to the audience and were critiqued on their overall preparation, poise and professional presentation. The top three pitches were recognized and the top student walked away with a $4,000 prize. The fast pitch, which involves students from Cal State San Bernardino, is sponsored by local entrepreneur Garner Holt of San Bernardino. Holt's company, Garner Holt Productions, is the world's leading manufacturer of Animatronics & Animatronic Figures. The top 3 finishers were:
- Joelle Passerello — Shake & Go Remote
- Jonah Michaels — EZChange
- Mario Perez — Echo Radio
EVENT SPONSORS
The Spirit of the Entrepreneur event was presented by the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship at California State University San Bernardino and sponsored by a wide range of local organizations including Best Best & Krieger LLP; Southern California News Group; Renaissance Executive Forums; Bank of America; Pro AV; City of Riverside; Business Alliance; Wilson Ivanova CPAs; Wells Fargo; San Bernardino County Economic Development Agency; UPS; CDC Small Business Finance; Varner & Brandt LLP; Riverside County Economic Development Agency; Leadership Dimensions; US Bank; and Altek Media Group..