Judges Selected For Central Great Lakes Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2005 Awards

Business Wire, April 25, 2005

CENTRAL GREAT LAKES, Mich. -- Ernst & Young LLP today announced the independent judging panel for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year(R) 2005 Awards in Central Great Lakes to be held on June 9, 2005. The judging panel that will select this year's local award recipients is comprised of an elite group of area leaders from business, academic, and civic organizations.

The distinguished judges are:

--Stacy Fox, former Senior Vice President, Corporate Transactions & Legal Affairs, Visteon Corporation

--Kim Harris Jones, VP-Product Finance, DaimlerChrysler AG

--Don Jakeway, Chairman and CEO, Michigan Economic Development Corporation

--Jack Krasula, CEO, Trustinus, Inc.

--Clint Longenecker, Stranahan Distinguished Professor of Management, University of Toledo

--Sam Simon, CEO, Atlas Oil Company

--David Sowerby, Portfolio Manager and Chief Market Analyst, Loomis Sayles & Company L.P.

Now in its 19th year, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Program recognizes outstanding entrepreneurial achievements. Past winners have included Michael Dell of Dell Inc., Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines and Howard Schultz of Starbucks. The national overall winner of the 2004 awards program was Wayne Huizenga, Chairman of Fort Lauderdale-based Huizenga Holdings, Inc. Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI), Auto Nation (NYSE: AN) and Waste Management (NYSE: WMI) are among the multi-billion dollar enterprises that Huizenga has helped to build so far in his career. More than 50 of the award program's winners have become members of the NASDAQ 100.

Awards are given to entrepreneurs who have demonstrated excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. The deadline for nominations was April 8, 2005. Local finalists will be announced on May 3rd, 2005. Award Recipients will be announced at a black-tie preferred gala on June 9th, 2005 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Dearborn, MI. All national award recipients and finalists will be announced and honored at a gala event at the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards in Palm Springs, Calif. in November 2005.

For more information contact: Lisa Bower, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Central Great Lake's Awards, at Lisa.Bower@ey.com, (248) 743-6265, Ernst & Young LLP, 101 W. Big Beaver Road, Suite 1200, Troy, MI 48084. Information is also available at www.ey.com/us/eoy.> About The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year(R) Program

The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Program was created and is produced by professional services firm Ernst & Young LLP. As the first award of its kind, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic and growing businesses. The program honors entrepreneurs through regional, national and global award programs in over 100 cities and 35 countries.

About Ernst & Young

Ernst & Young, a global leader in professional services, is committed to restoring the public's trust in professional services firms and in the quality of financial reporting. Its 100,000 people in more than 140 countries around the globe pursue the highest levels of integrity, quality, and professionalism to provide clients with solutions based on financial, transactional, and risk-management knowledge in Ernst & Young's core services of Audit, Tax, and Transaction Advisory Services. Ernst & Young practices also provide legal services in some parts of the world where permitted. Further information about Ernst & Young and its approach to a variety of business issues can be found at www.ey.com/perspectives. Ernst & Young refers to all the members of the global Ernst & Young organization.