John Lauer, co-founder and CEO of Zipwhip, was named a finalist for Entrepreneur of the Year, an annual award from Ernst & Young (EY US). Now in its 34th year, the Entrepreneur of the Year program honors entrepreneurial business leaders whose ambitions deliver innovation, growth and prosperity as they build and sustain successful businesses that transform the world. The 23 finalists were selected by a panel of independent judges comprised of previous award winners and other business leaders. Award winners will be announced at a virtual gala on October 6, 2020 at 4 p.m. PDT.
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Entrepreneur of the Year is one of the preeminent competitive award programs for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. The nominees are evaluated based on six criteria, including overcoming adversity; financial performance; societal impact and commitment to building a values-based company; innovation; and talent management. This marks Lauer’s third year as a finalist for Entrepreneur of the Year.
“I’m incredibly honored to be named an Entrepreneur of the Year finalist alongside such inspiring leaders and innovators,” said John Lauer, CEO of Zipwhip. “We’re blessed in the Pacific Northwest to have a thriving business community and one that supports entrepreneurs like ourselves. I certainly wouldn’t be here without a network of people and organizations who help Zipwhip thrive, or without our amazing team of employees who collaborate on our shared vision to become the most trusted texting platform in the world.”
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Lauer’s position as a finalist comes during a year when businesses across the globe have had to quickly evolve in the face of COVID-19. Despite the pandemic, Lauer and the leadership team at Zipwhip have led a banner year at the company. Zipwhip has reached record-breaking text volume, with billions of messages going over its network each month. The company successfully launched a new self-service product earlier this year and recently ranked on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing companies in America. Zipwhip also brought on marketing veteran Carol Meyers as a new board member.
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