Ten more Minnesota business leaders on Thursday took home regional honors in Ernst & Young’s annual Entrepreneur of the Year Award program.

At a ceremony at the Fillmore Minneapolis last night, EY formally honored a total of 13 individuals with the Entrepreneur of the Year Heartland Award.

Each year, the Heartland program recognizes entrepreneurial efforts in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas, excluding the greater Wichita area. Winners of the Heartland award are now eligible for the program’s national iteration. EY chose the Heartland winners from a pool of 30 competitors.

A regional sponsor of the program, TCB will profile all ten Minnesota winners in the upcoming August/September issue.

Here are the Minnesota-based winners of the Entrepreneur of the Year Heartland Award:

• Cheri Beranek, president and CEO of Minneapolis-based fiber optic cable maker Clearfield Inc. Beranek is also a 2021 Minnesota Business Hall of Fame honoree.
• Michele Henry, founder and CEO of Minneapolis-based facial bar chain Face Foundrié
• Patrick Hawkins, CEO and president of Roseville-based chemical maker Hawkins Inc.
• Jim Mortensen, president of Minneapolis-based behavior health solutions provider R3 Continuum
• Rita Katona and Eric Hall, co-founders of Minneapolis-based probiotic shot maker So Good So You
• Jude Bricker, CEO of Twin Cities-based air carrier Sun Country Airlines
• Nay Hla, CEO of Eagan-based sushi supplier Sushi Avenue Inc.
• Eli Maloley, founder and CEO of St. Paul-based computer wholesaler Vivacity Tech PBC
• Michael Happe, president and CEO of Eden Prairie-based RV maker Winnebago Industries Inc.

Last year, nine Minnesotans won the Heartland Award.