Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates ambitious entrepreneurs who are shaping the future
Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced that Paula Gamer of Gamer Packaging, Inc. was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2024 Heartland Award finalist. The Heartland program celebrates entrepreneurs from the Dakotas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas. Now in its 38th year, Entrepreneur Of The Year is the preeminent competitive business award for audacious leaders who disrupt markets, revolutionize sectors and have a transformational impact on lives. Over the past four decades, the program has recognized the daring entrepreneurs with big ideas and bold actions that reshape our world.
Paula Gamer was one of 28 regional entrepreneurs selected as finalists by an independent panel of judges. The candidates were evaluated based on their demonstration of building long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact, among other core contributions and attributes.
“I am honored to be selected as a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year award,” said Gamer. “I view this recognition as a celebration of the enduring family values that guide everything we do here at Gamer Packaging. The nomination highlights our commitment to valuing tradition while embracing change, and I am proud to represent our dedicated team and the entrepreneurial legacy we continue to cultivate.”
Entrepreneur Of The Year honors many different types of business leaders for their ingenuity, courage and entrepreneurial spirit. The program celebrates original founders who bootstrapped their business from inception or who raised outside capital to grow their company; transformational CEOs who infused innovation into an existing organization to catapult its trajectory; and multigenerational family business leaders who reimagined a legacy business model to fortify it for the future.
Regional award winners will be announced on June 20th during a special celebration and will become lifetime members of an esteemed community of Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni from around the world. The winners will then be considered by the National judges for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, which will be presented in November at the annual Strategic Growth Forum®, one of the nation’s most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies.
In addition to Entrepreneur Of The Year, EY US supports other entrepreneurs through the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ program and the EY Entrepreneurs Access Network to help connect women founders and Black and Hispanic/Latino entrepreneurs, respectively, with the resources, network and access needed to unlock their full potential.
Sponsors
Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards include presenting sponsors PNC Bank, Cresa, Marsh USA, SAP and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. In the Heartland, sponsors also include regional Platinum sponsor, Twin Cities Business; regional Gold sponsor, Padilla; and regional Silver sponsors, Brillect and Robert Half.
About Entrepreneur Of The Year®
Founded in 1986, Entrepreneur Of The Year® has celebrated more than 11,000 ambitious visionaries who are leading successful, dynamic businesses in the US, and it has since expanded to nearly 80 countries and territories globally.
The US program consists of 17 regional programs whose panels of independent judges select the regional award winners every June. Those winners compete for national recognition at the Strategic Growth Forum® in November where National finalists and award winners are announced. The overall National winner represents the US at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year® competition. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.
About Gamer Packaging
Gamer Packaging, Inc. is a full-service packaging distributor serving predominantly the food, beverage, personal care, household chemical, pet/vet and pharmaceuticals industries. Gamer has partnered with the most respected glass, plastic, and aluminum packaging manufacturers in the world to offer our customers the best in both stock and custom packaging options. Sourcing quality manufactured products is just the start. Gamer provides our customers with creative financing options, flexible warehousing and consignment options, top-notch design and engineering services, all from a team of people that really care about the success of our customers. We provide high-touch, boutique style service.