MINNEAPOLIS – November 16, 2023 – Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) announced that Cheri Beranek, president and CEO of Clearfield, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLFD, news, filings), was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2023 National Award winner, following Beranek’s selection as a Heartland regional award winner in June. Winners were selected from a pool of 224 regional Entrepreneur Of The Year 2023 Award winners from 197 companies across the US. Entrepreneur Of The Year was created to honor those audacious entrepreneurs who dare to reimagine what’s possible and develop products and solutions that disrupt markets, revolutionize industries and transform lives. Now in its 37th year, it is celebrated as one of the most respected business award programs in the world.
“I am honored to be named as an Entrepreneur Of The Year 2023 National Award Winner,” said Beranek. “This award validates the work that we do at Clearfield and will act as a motivator for us to continue to leverage the entrepreneurial spirit that has enabled us to build our business, serve our customers and create tremendous value for all of our stakeholders.”
Winners were selected by a panel of independent judges made up of entrepreneurs and other notable business leaders from across the US. 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.
As the fiber broadband industry enters it largest investment cycle ever, Beranek demonstrated extensive leadership while executing an insightful management style to navigate through supply chain challenges. She continues to focus on customer’s needs and the role that Clearfield can play in their success to ensure the digital divide closes.
Beranek joins the following leaders from across the nation as Entrepreneur Of The Year 2023 National Award winners:
- Jason McGowan, Co-Founder and CEO, Crumbl Cookies, Lindon, Utah
- Felipe Hasselmann, President and CEO, Cuisine Solutions, Sterling, Virginia
- Wemimo Abbey, Co-Founder, Co-CEO and Samir Goel, Co-Founder, Co-CEO, Esusu, New York, New York
- Dr. Sohail Masood, CEO, KabaFusion, Cerritos, California
- RJ Melman, President, Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, Chicago, Illinois
- Tom Brennan, CEO and CTO, Sol-Ark, Plano, Texas
- Gaurab Chakrabarti, Co-Founder and CEO and Sean Hunt, Co-founder and CTO, Solugen, Houston, Texas
- Josh Meyerowitz, Founder and CEO, SupplyHouse, Melville, New York
- Michael Happe, President and CEO, Winnebago Industries, Eden Prairie, Minnesota (National Overall Award winner)
“Business leaders everywhere are navigating a slew of macro-economic and geopolitical challenges. Still, this year’s National Award winners led their companies to new heights, showcasing indomitable spirits and commitments to their people and communities,” said Andrew (AJ) Jordan, EY Americas Entrepreneur Of The Year Director. “They embody the best of entrepreneurship and the ingenuity so necessary to drive markets and help societies the world over.”
Since 1986, Entrepreneur Of The Year has celebrated entrepreneurs whose drive, innovative spirit and creativity have fueled their companies’ success, revolutionized their industries and positively impacted their communities. The National finalists and winners were announced during a celebration held at the Strategic Growth Forum®, one of the nation’s most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies. They become lifetime members of the esteemed community of award winners, with exclusive, continued access to the experience, insight and wisdom of fellow alumni and other ecosystem members in over 60 countries — all supported by a wide array of EY resources.
Sponsors
Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards include presenting sponsors PNC Bank, SAP America and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.
Videos and photos
Videos and photos of all Entrepreneur Of The Year Award winners will be available at https://www.ey.com/en_us/entrepreneur-of-the-year/meet-the-winners-and-finalists.
About Entrepreneur Of The Year®
Entrepreneur Of The Year® is the world’s most prestigious business awards program for ambitious entrepreneurs. These visionary leaders deliver innovation, growth and prosperity that transform our world. The program engages entrepreneurs with insights and experiences that foster growth. It connects them with their peers to strengthen entrepreneurship around the world. Entrepreneur Of The Year is the first and only truly global awards program of its kind. It celebrates entrepreneurs through regional and national awards programs in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries. National Overall Award winners go on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year title. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.
About EY
EY exists to build a better working world, helping create long-term value for clients, people and society and build trust in the capital markets.
Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform and operate.
Working across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax and transactions, EY teams ask better questions to find new answers for the complex issues facing our world today.
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Ernst & Young LLP is a client-serving member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited operating in the US.
About Clearfield, Inc.
Clearfield, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLFD) designs, manufactures, and distributes fiber optic management, protection, and delivery products for communications networks. Our “fiber to anywhere” platform serves the unique requirements of leading incumbent local exchange carriers (traditional carriers), competitive local exchange carriers (alternative carriers), and MSO/cable TV companies, while also catering to the broadband needs of the utility/municipality, enterprise, data center and military markets. Headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, Clearfield deploys more than a million fiber ports each year. For more information, visit www.SeeClearfield.com.
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