Maryland Capital Enterprises, Inc. (MCE) is now seeking nominations for their Palmer Gillis Entrepreneur of the Year Award which will be presented in November at the fifth annual Award Banquet.
Eligible entrepreneurs will come from five counties on the Eastern Shore, and anyone can nominate a business owner. The one page nomination form is easy to fill out and the winner will earn a $2,000 cash prize, and an engraved glass award. The deadline for nominations is September 23rd. The form can be filled out online at MCE’s website http://www.marylandcapital.org by clicking on the “Get Involved” tab next to the Entrepreneur of the Year logo.
The goal of the award has been to raise awareness about entrepreneurship and recognize the risk takers. Previous winners have included Peter Roskovich, owner of Adam’s Ribs restaurants and Black Diamond Catering in Fruitland, Ryan Miller, owner of The Deli, Last Call Liquors, and other successful businesses in Wicomico County, Dr. Kerry Palakanis, owner of the Crisfield Clinic, and Christopher Eccleston, owner of Delmarva Veteran Builders in Salisbury.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Nominees must be a small business owner or majority partner involved in day-to-day operations of the business
- Business must be located in Wicomico, Worcester, Somerset, Dorchester or Talbot counties
- The company must employ 100 or fewer employees
- The business must have been established locally for at least two (2) years
- Must be a for-profit business
- Business must be in the good standing with the state of Maryland
The top three nominees will be announced in October and the winner will be named at MCE’s annual Entrepreneur of the Year Award Banquet on Thursday, November 3, 2016, at Salisbury University.
“We all know at least one entrepreneur who works tirelessly day and night to make their business a success. We encourage you to nominate them. To recognize their sacrifices and hold them up as an example of how hard work pays off in the end. Entrepreneurship is about making something happen even if the odds are against you. It’s about the human spirit. And we want to honor that,” said MCE’s Executive Director George Koste. “We hope this will inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs to take that next step and start their own business, and we want them to know we are here to help.”
MCE created the Palmer Gillis Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2012. The award is named after Palmer Gillis, a Salisbury native, who has spent the last 36 years building his construction company into one of the largest general contracting firms on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Along the way, he continues to give back through public service as a board member for numerous charitable causes and foundations. He has been a leading voice in trying to make his community a better place.
MCE (Maryland Capital Enterprises), a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization located on the second floor of the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce Building in Salisbury, has been working to promote entrepreneurship since its inception over a decade ago. Through business counseling, small business loans, classes for business owners and other resources, MCE can help nurture those winning ideas and help turn them into profit.
To nominate an entrepreneur or to learn more about the award, visit www.marylandcapital.org.
