In a gala affair held in Seattle on Friday night, June 10, 2011 DePaul Industries’ CEO, Dave Shaffer joined 26 other area-wide entrepreneurial luminaries on stage as an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® 2011 Pacific Northwest Award finalist.
The awards ceremony recognized entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Dave Shaffer was selected as a finalist from nearly 90 nominations by a panel of independent judges. Noteworthy is the fact that Dave helms a not-for-profit organization that made the final pool of 27 businesses recognized for entrepreneurial bent in the marketplace.
What is perhaps even more notable is the fact that Mr. Shaffer’s focus is on advancing the platform of social entrepreneurialism, making DePaul’s rise to this echelon of Ernst & Young honorees all the more significant and gratifying in competing with for profit corporations.
DePaul Industries, a not-for-profit organization that helps employees with disabilities live better lives while competing in a highly competitive for-profit world, continues to rack up impressive awards for the services it delivers to major businesses throughout the Northwest during challenging economic times. It has a special “blend for success” that works.
“It was thrilling to be there and to have our team recognized at such a level. I couldn’t be more proud of what we have accomplished and of our continuing progress along on the path that we have laid out for ourselves. An entrepreneurial spirit throughout our organization is critical for us. It’s an essential ingredient, as we’re on an important and exciting dual mission. We serve customer & market needs while we help a growing employee base live the best lives they can. That’s a powerful and rewarding business to be in. We’re social entrepreneurs,” says DePaul CEO Dave Shaffer.
The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Program celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. The program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 140 cities and more than 50 countries throughout the world. The awards are part of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum®, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.
