Oswald P. Zimmermann, CEO Of datango AG, In the Finals for The "Entrepreneur Of the Year 2008"

Business Wire, Oct 6, 2008

Ernst & Young award best economic service: award ceremony on October 9th in the old opera house in Frankfurt

BERLIN -- The auditing and consulting company Ernst & Young is awarding the best entrepreneur in Germany for the twelfth time. Out of 300 nominees, 65 have now reached the final round of the well known competition for the title "Entrepreneur of the Year". Oswald P. Zimmermann, CEO of datango AG, is also in the running for the sought-after economic title, which will be awarded on October 9th in five categories. The prize winners will be honored in the old opera house in Frankfurt.

"Mid-sized companies are the motor of the German economy, but the people behind these successes are rarely noticed by the public", says Wolfgang Glauner, organizer and project manager of the competition. "Therefore, with the title of 'Entrepreneur of the Year', Ernst & Young is recognizing entrepreneurial dedication and sustainable growth." Oswald P. Zimmermann, CEO of datango AG, commented: "I am proud to be accepted into the ranks of the best entrepreneurs in Germany. datango was able to note a rapid growth worldwide in the past years with its Electronic Performance Support and E-Learning technology. I am pleased that my work and that of the whole team has borne fruit in this way. "

Impressive growth

The currently growing fear of a cyclical downturn is being counteracted by the above-average growth of the best mid-sized companies. "Altogether the 65 finalist companies have generated 10 billion Euros in the past year", says Glauner. The impressive economic power is significantly apparent on the job market: these companies which have reached the finals employ around 48,000 people and created almost 6,000 new jobs in the past year.

In this way, datango was also able to increase their turnover by 100% from 2006 to 2007. The customer and employee numbers have also more than doubled.

The 65 prize worthy companies - divided into five categories - come from twelve German states, and many are based in the South: 16 companies reached the finals from Baden-Wurttemberg, 14 from Bavaria and 10 each from Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia, along with a total of nine from the new Federal States and Berlin.

Demanding selection process

Ernst & Young have held the entrepreneurial competition GEntrepreneur of the year", in Germany for twelve years now. The nominated companies therefore have to complete a demanding, multi stage selection process. A high-profile, independent jury, consisting of scientists and entrepreneurs, determine the prize winners in the following categories: trade, industry, services, information and communication technology/media and start up.

The awards ceremony will take place on October 9th 2008 during a gala in the old Frankfurt opera house. In this spirit, 900 invited guests from business, science and politics have announced their participation, to celebrate the successful entrepreneur. The award ceremony will be broadcast live on German television.