First Book President and Co-founder Kyle Zimmer Awarded EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® in the Mid-Atlantic

EY builds on three decades of honoring exceptional entrepreneurs in the Mid-Atlantic region

MCLEAN, Va., June 16, 2017 – EY is pleased to announce the winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in the Mid-Atlantic region. This group of leading entrepreneurs were selected by an independent judging panel made up of previous award winners, leading CEOs, investors and other regional business leaders. The winners were unveiled at a special gala on June 15, 2017 at The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner in McLean, Virginia.

“EY has been recognizing leading entrepreneurs for over three decades,” said Debra von Storch, EY Americas Entrepreneur Of The Year Program Director. “The class of winners in 2017 represent new ways of thinking, disruptive business models and overall dynamism that make this country a great place to do business.”

The winners for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2017 Mid-Atlantic Award include:

• Ashish Kachru, Altruista Health, Reston, VA
• Ed Barry, Capital Bank, Rockville, MD
• Andy Macdonald, Consilio, Washington, D.C.
• Kyle Zimmer, First Book, Washington, D.C.
• Dev Ganesan, Fishbowl, Alexandria, VA
• Amy Wright, Macro Solutions, Washington, D.C.
• Joe Fluet, MAG Aerospace, Woodbridge, VA
• Rohyt Belani, PhishMe, Leesburg, VA
• Bo Menkiti, The Menkiti Group, Washington, D.C.

Since its founding in 1986, the program has expanded to recognize business leaders in over 145 cities in more than 60 countries throughout the world.

Regional award winners are now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall National Award winner, will be announced at the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards gala in Palm Springs, California on November 18, 2017. The awards are the culminating event of the Strategic Growth ForumTM, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies. The Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall Award winner then moves on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in Monaco in June 2018.

Sponsors
Founded and produced by EY, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored in the US by SAP America, Merrill Corporation and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

In the Mid-Atlantic region, platinum sponsors include JLL and PNC Bank. Gold sponsors include Chatham Financial, Cooley LLP, SolomonEdwards Group and the Washington Business Journal.

About Entrepreneur Of The Year®

Entrepreneur Of The Year®, founded by EY, is the world’s most prestigious business awards program for entrepreneurs, chosen from an independent panel of judges including entrepreneurs and prominent leaders from business, finance, and the local community. The program makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global awards program of its kind, Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in over 145 cities in more than 60 countries. ey.com/eoy.

About EY

EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

This news release has been issued by Ernst & Young LLP, a member of the global EY organization that provides services to clients in the US.

For more information, please visit ey.com.

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About First Book

First Book transforms the lives of children in need. Through a sustainable, market-driven model, First Book is creating equal access to quality education — making everything from brand-new, high-quality books and educational resources, to sports equipment and snacks, affordable to its member network of more than 325,000 educators who exclusively serve kids in need. Since 1992, First Book has distributed more than 160 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families in more than 30 countries. First Book currently reaches an average of 3 million children every year and supports more than one in four of the estimated 1.3 million educators serving children in need. With an additional 1,000 educators joining each week, First Book is the largest and fastest-growing network of educators in the United States exclusively serving kids in need.

Eligible educators, librarians, providers, and others serving children in need can sign up at firstbook.org/register. For more information, please visit firstbook.org or follow the latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

Media Contacts:
Melanie Boyer
First Book
mboyer@firstbook.org
202-639-0144