Tuesday, February 21, 2012

North Carolina Companies to Watch Nomination Deadline Approaches



North Carolina companies may be nominated through February 27, 2012

CED, the Southeast’s largest entrepreneurial support organization, today announced more than 105 nominations have been submitted in advance of the February 27 nomination deadline for the third annual North Carolina Companies to Watch (NCCTW) awards. Twenty-five companies will be recognized as recipients at an awards ceremony in Raleigh on June 7.

NCCTW, presented by CED in partnership with the Edward Lowe Foundation and fourteen other North Carolina-based entrepreneurial support organizations, recognizes the achievement of second-stage entrepreneurial companies and showcases their contributions to the economy of North Carolina.

Penny Lewandowski, director of entrepreneurship at the Edward Lowe Foundation, knows the economic impact of the 50 NCCTW honorees since 2010 and why it is important to recognize these companies.  “In addition to providing 1,493 jobs and generating more than $310 million in annual revenue combined, these growth companies are creating new generation products and services,” said Lewandowski.  “What’s more, they are community leaders who are reinvesting locally and bringing positive attention to their regions.”

As a state-wide, cross-industry awards ceremony, past winners have cited this award as a catalyst to future success.  "3tailer was fortunate to have been chosen for the inaugural class of the NCCTW awards,” said Jon West, Co-Founder of 3trailer. “The Companies to Watch award has been a springboard for our success and we appreciate all the ongoing work CED does for North Carolina companies."

Eligible North Carolina companies have the opportunity to join this elite group. Companies can be nominated by completing this online form and must meet the following criteria: companies must be privately-held, for-profit businesses headquartered in North Carolina, employ between six and 99 employees on a full-time equivalent basis, and have reached annual revenues between $750,000 and $50 million in 2011. Companies that have received this award in the past are not eligible to be nominated.

About The Edward Lowe Foundation

The Foundation is a Michigan-based nonprofit organization supporting entrepreneurship through recognition, education and research, with a focus on second-stage companies—those that have moved beyond the startup phase and seek significant, steady growth.

About Companies to Watch

Companies to Watch is a unique awards program developed by the Edward Lowe Foundation to honor second-stage companies that demonstrate high performance in the marketplace, exhibit innovative products or processes, or otherwise make those companies worth watching.