GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced that John Sammut and Jochen Lipp of Firstronic were named Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020 Michigan and Northwest Ohio Award finalists. 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 our world. Sammut and Lipp were selected as two of 29 finalists by a panel of independent judges from a competitive pool of nominations. The pair previously won this award in 2006 for their turnaround strategy at EPIC Technologies.

Award winners will be announced through a special virtual event on Thursday, October 8 at 6 p.m. EDT and will join a lifelong community of esteemed Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni from around the world. This year, unstoppable entrepreneurs who have provided extraordinary support for their communities, employees and others during the COVID-19 crisis will also be recognized for their courage, resilience and ingenuity.

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. Since its launch, the program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries around the world.

“It is a true honor to once again be on the path to win this prestigious award, following the successful implementation of our unique EMS business model at Firstronic. As always, our great team at Firstronic is the primary reason we continue to achieve industry-leading results,” said John Sammut, Firstronic’s President and CEO.

“In an industry where better, faster, cheaper is considered the norm, I’m pleased that the organizational model John and I have developed for delivering industry-leading results has been recognized once again. I’m also thankful for a team that in a year of unprecedented challenges, continues to perform exceptionally well. Being named a finalist isn’t simply a personal accomplishment, it is also a reflection on the quality of the entire Firstronic team,” said Jochen Lipp, FIrstronic COO.

Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, to be announced in November during a virtual awards gala. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in June 2021.

Entrepreneur Of The Year Award winners become lifetime members of a global, multi-industry community of entrepreneurs, with exclusive, ongoing access to the experience, insight and wisdom of program alumni and other ecosystem members in over 60 countries — all supported by vast EY resources.

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored by SAP America and the Kauffman Foundation. In Michigan and Northwest Ohio, sponsors also include Citizens Bank, Donnelley Financial Solutions, Trion Solutions, Oswald Companies, Stanton Chase, and Tanner Friedman Strategic Communications.

Register now for PCB West Virtual 2020, the leading conference and exhibition for the printed circuit board industry, coming this September. pcbwest.com