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RapidAdvance Chairman and CEO Lee Jundanian Named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2008 Award Winner in Maryland
Award Recognizes Entrepreneurial Excellence in Financial Services Category
Bethesda, MD, June 20, 2008 - RapidAdvance, a national leader in merchant cash advance services, today announced that Chairman and CEO Lee J. Jundanian received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2008 Award in the Financial Services category in Maryland. According to Ernst & Young LLP, the award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic, growing businesses. Jundanian was among seven winners announced at a gala event at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel on June 19, 2008.
"I am deeply honored to be recognized as an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year," said Jundanian. "This award is a testament to RapidAdvance's best-in-class performance in the merchant cash advance sector, and to the hard work and dedication of our top-notch team of professionals."
"The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award program has been setting the standards for excellence in entrepreneurship for more than 20 years," Jundanian said, "and it is truly an honor to be chosen as a finalist for this respected award."
Jundanian was selected by an independent panel of judges for demonstrating leadership, commitment to innovation, and integrity. Jundanian founded RapidAdvance in 2005, and today the privately held company has over 100 employees and operates throughout the U.S., Canada and the U.K.
The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year awards celebrate their 22nd anniversary this year. The program exercises rigorous due diligence in its evaluation of nominees, and entrepreneurs who are honored with the award have demonstrated exceptionality in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.
"Ernst & Young is pleased to honor outstanding business leaders such as Lee Jundanian," said Harry Thomasian Jr., Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Program Director for Maryland. "Winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year award build leading businesses and contribute a great deal to the communities around them. Their success helps our area grow stronger."
As a Maryland award winner, Jundanian is now eligible for consideration for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2008 national program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the overall national Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California on November 15, 2008. The awards are the culminating event of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum, the nation's most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.
Sponsors
Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year awards are pleased to have the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and SAP America as national sponsors.
In Maryland, local sponsors include Clifton Gunderson LLP, DLA Piper LLP, Provident Bank, Baltimore SmartCEO, and The Mergis Group.
About RapidAdvance
RapidAdvance, based in Bethesda, Maryland, is a leading provider of merchant cash advances to small and mid-sized business owners looking to obtain additional working capital. Business merchants use RapidAdvance's service to fund expansion, purchase equipment and inventory, pay off debt or leverage a seasonal opportunity. Funding is quick and easy and does not require the traditional guarantees, liens or collateral associated with bank loans. For more information about RapidAdvance's business funding solutions, please call 877.467.2743 or visit www.RapidAdvance.com.
About Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur Of The Year
Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world's most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The award makes a difference through the unique 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 award of its kind, Ernst & Young 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 more than 135 cities in 50 countries.
About Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 130,000 people are united by our shared values and an unwavering commitment to quality. We make a difference by helping our people, our clients and our wider communities achieve potential.
For more information, please visit www.ey.com.
Ernst & Young refers to the global organization of 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.
This news release has been issued by Ernst & Young LLP, a member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited.
