More than a dozen of the region’s leading entrepreneurs were honored at the Ernst & Young (EY) Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, a black tie gala held Wednesday night at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Minneapolis.

Twenty-five finalists—including 19 from Minnesota—were vying for this year’s awards. The Upper Midwest competition features leaders from Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, and the Dakotas, and the winners named last night will advance to the national competition, which will be held in November in Palm Springs, California. Nine of this year's regional winners hail from Minnesota.

The 2014 EY Entrepreneur of the Year winners from the Upper Midwest are:

• Amy Nelson, founder and CEO of Otsego-based home health care services provider Accurate Home Care

• Thomas Ahern, CEO, and Robert Coughlan, principal, of North Mankato-based publishing firm Capstone

• Matthew Dornquast, cofounder and CEO of Minneapolis-based software firm Code 42 Software

• Chip Pearson, managing partner and co-CEO, and Zach Halmstad, founder and co-CEO, of Minneapolis-based management software firm JAMF Software

• Scott Litman and Dan Mallin, managing partners of Minneapolis-based marketing and technology firm Magnet 360

• Brenton Hayden, founder and CEO of Minnetonka-based property management company Renters Warehouse

• Eric McDonald, CEO of DocuTAP, a Sioux Falls, South Dakota-based provider of software for urgent care clinics

• Greg Thrasher, president, and Nancy Thrasher, vice president, of Foundation Supportworks, Inc., a La Vista, Nebraska-based manufacturer of foundation repair and stabilization products

• Van Miller, CEO of VGM Group, Inc., a Waterloo, Iowa-based buying group for independent home medical equipment providers

In addition, Christopher Policinski, CEO of Arden Hills-based Land O’Lakes, was given the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Master Entrepreneur award.

The Entrepreneur Of The Year program was founded nearly three decades ago. Twin Cities Business serves as the regional media sponsor for the Upper Midwest competition, and each of this year’s winners will be profiled in the magazine’s August issue. You can read profiles of last year’s winners here.

“EY has honored outstanding entrepreneurs for the past 28 years,” Todd Papa, program director for the Upper Midwest competition, said in a statement. “These business leaders are accomplished entrepreneurs who have contributed a tremendous amount to our communities.”