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.
