Award Recognizes Entrepreneurial Excellence in Communications Category
PORTLAND, Ore., June 13, 2011 – Integra Telecom Inc., a fiber-based telecom provider for businesses, today announced that Dudley Slater received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2011 Pacific Northwest Award in the Communications category. According to Ernst & Young LLP, the award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Slater was selected by an independent panel of judges, and the award was presented at a gala event in Seattle on June 10.
“This is a tremendous award that I am both humbled and honored to receive. I would like to thank Integra’s customer-focused employees who worked tirelessly with me in building Integra and making this possible,” said Dudley Slater, vice chairman of Integra’s board of directors. Slater co-founded Integra Telecom in 1996 and served as CEO from 1998 to 2011. He grew the company from nine employees in Oregon to more than 2,000 employees in 11 states. Under his leadership, Integra became one of the leading telecom companies in the country.
The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards Program celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. Past award winners have included Howard Schultz of Starbucks Coffee Company, Arthur M. Blank of AMB Group, LLC (Home Depot, Atlanta Falcons), Pierre Omidyar of eBay, Inc., Ruth Fertel of Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Inc., Maxine Clark of Build-a-Bear Workshop, Tom Adams of Rosetta Stone Inc., Matt Szulik of Red Hat, Inc., and last year’s national winner, Howard Lutnick, Chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald and BGC Capital Partners, Inc.
As a Pacific Northwest award winner, Slater is now eligible for consideration for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2011 National Award. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the overall Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year National Award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, Calif., on Nov. 12, 2011. 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, which will be held Nov. 9–13, 2011.
About Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year®
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® is the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The unique award makes a difference through the 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, 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 140 cities in more than 50 countries.
About Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 141,000 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 their potential. 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 LLP is a client-serving member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited operating in the US. For more information about our organization, please visit www.ey.com.
About Integra Telecom
Integra Telecom Inc. provides voice, data and Internet communications to thousands of business and carrier customers in 11 Western states, including: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, Utah and Washington. The company owns and operates a best-in-class fiber-optic network comprising metropolitan access networks, a nationally acclaimed Internet and data network, and a 4,700-mile high-speed long haul network. The company has earned some of the highest customer loyalty and customer satisfaction ratings in the telecommunications industry. Integra Telecom is a registered trademark of Integra Telecom Inc. For more information, visit www.integratelecom.com
MEDIA CONTACTS
John Nee, 503-453-8084, john.nee@integratelecom.com
Melissa Moore, 503-546-7894, melissa@lanepr.com
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