Florida's Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of TheYear Award Winners Announced at June 28th Gala.

    Business & News Editors

      TAMPA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 29, 2000--The results are in!
Richard J. Dobkin, Director of Entrepreneurial Services of Ernst &
Young today announced the winners of Florida's Year 2000 Ernst & Young
Entrepreneur Of The Year(R) awards. The program recognizes
entrepreneurs who have demonstrated excellence and extraordinary
success in such areas as innovation, financial performance, and
personal commitment to their businesses and communities.



		

		

		

		

		

		
		
			

 

		
		
		
		
		
	

 This year's
award recipients are:
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E-Software and Services Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year

Scott Gostyla
Hydrogen Media, Inc. - St. Petersburg


E-Business Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year

Bruce Frcek
Xcelerate Corp. - Ft. Lauderdale


Health Care/Life Science Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year

Peter von Dyck
Zassi Medical Evolutions - Fernandina Beach


Real Estate/Construction Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year

Don Buckner
Vac-Tron Equipment - Okahumpka


Retail/Consumer Products Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year

Mark Begelman
MARS, Inc. - Ft. Lauderdale


Services Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year

Paul "Mac" Langston
Flightline Group, Inc. - Tallahassee


Technology Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year

David Chessler
ParView, Inc. - Sarasota


Emerging Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year

Peter Warhurst
PODS, Inc. - St. Petersburg


Master Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year

Richard Kessler
The Kessler Enterprise, Inc. - Orlando

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      The winners were announced at a gala awards ceremony held at the
Orlando World Center Marriott on June 28. The event was the
culmination of an intensive search to identify and recognize Florida's
outstanding entrepreneurs.
      Florida's winners are now eligible to participate in Ernst &
Young's National Entrepreneur Of The Year awards competition, the
pre-eminent program honoring outstanding owners of fast-growing
companies.
      The national search will culminate at a black-tie awards gala in
Palm Springs, California, on November 11, 2000, where the national
Entrepreneur Of The Year finalists and winners in several national
categories, as well as the National Entrepreneur Of The Year, will be
announced and celebrated by more than 2,000 attendees as part of the
Entrepreneur Of The Year International Conference.
      Previous Entrepreneur Of The Year award winners include a "Who's
Who" of business leaders, such as Michael Dell of Dell Computer
Corporation, Jim McCann of 1-800 Flowers, Steve Case of America
Online, Ed Iacobucci of Citrix Systems, Howard Schultz of Starbucks
Coffee and Sheryl Leach of the Lyons Group (creators of "Barney").
Richard M. Schulze, founder of Best Buy, was named the 1999 National
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year.
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      The independent panel of judges, which selected Florida's award
recipients, consisted of:

Norman Braman
Chairman of Braman Automobile Dealerships, Braman Management
Association

Hugh M. Brown
President and CEO, BAMSI, Inc.

John P. Byrnes
Chief Executive Officer, Lincare Holdings

Carla L. Coleman
Vice President for University Advancement, Florida Atlantic University

James W. Davidson
Managing Director, South Atlantic Private Equity Partners, IV

James J. Felcyn, Jr.
Retired Chief Financial Officer, Citrix Systems, Inc.

Marty Hanaka
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Sports Authority

Joe R. Lee
Chairman and CEO, Darden Restaurants

Jim McLaughlin
President, Jam Enterprises

Alan W. Rossiter
President and CEO, Enterprise North Florida Corporation

David C. Ruberg
President & CEO, Intermedia Communications

Rebecca J. Smith
President, The A.D. Morgan Corporation
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      Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The
Year program is nationally sponsored by USA Today, CNNfn and CNN, the
Nasdaq Stock Market, and the Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial
Leadership at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Joining in the
search for the nation's best entrepreneurs are Holland & Knight LLP,
The Citibank Private Bank and Raymond James & Associates. Recipients
of the Entrepreneur Of The Year award become lifetime members of the
Entrepreneur Of The Year Hall of Fame.

      Entrepreneur Of The Year(R) is a registered service mark of Ernst
& Young LLP.

      Ernst & Young (www.ey.com) is one of the world's leading providers
of services in auditing, corporate finance and tax. More than 75,000
people around the world act as creative catalysts, joining forces with
clients to do all it takes -- FROM THOUGHT TO FINISH(TM) -- to achieve
positive, significant change. Ernst & Young pioneered the development
of advanced solutions that connect clients, partners and employees
with Ernst & Young resources and knowledge to help them rapidly reach
their goals. Ernst & Young refers to the U.S. firm of Ernst & Young
LLP and other members of the global Ernst & Young organization.
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            Profiles on Florida Ernst & Young Entrepreneur
                     Of The Year Award Recipients

    E-Software and Services Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year
    Scott Gostyla
    Hydrogen Media, Inc. - St. Petersburg

      Hydrogen Media, Inc. is a Florida corporation that was founded by
Scott Gostyla. Hydrogen Media is a complete Internet solution provider
offering Web solutions, application development and full service
marketing coupled with the desire to build long-term, win-win customer
relationships. Hydrogen Media has grown 1000% since inception and is
now up to 120 employees, having moved four times in two years with the
newest office being over 16,000 square feet. Hydrogen Media-developed
sites have received a lot of notice due to the business partnerships
and state-of-the-art solutions involved - some clients include Time
Warner Communications, Mellon Bank, Dreyfus Brokerage, the duPont
Registry, IKON Office Solutions, Tech Data, Orange Crush, Aon
Corporation, and Nokia.

    E-Business Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year
    Bruce Frcek
    Xcelerate Corp. - Ft. Lauderdale

      Bruce Frcek, founded Ft. Lauderdale-based Xcelerate in 1997 as
InSight Technology Partners, as a traditional systems integrator. The
company reinvented itself with an exclusive e-business focus and
unique development approach, and launched as Xcelerate in June 1999.
The company began its operations in the proverbial extra bedroom of
the founder's home, and was self-funded by Frcek from its founding
until March 1999. Xcelerate's main focus is to transform start-up and
existing companies into powerful e-businesses. Through the integration
of strategy, technology, and user experience design, Xcelerate
provides true end-to-end solutions to help companies expand customer
relationships, increase revenue, and streamline operations. The
company's speed of delivery translates into significant time-to-market
advantages; and an unparalleled commitment to client service ensures
focused, high-impact results. With more than 300 people in 5
locations, Xcelerate's client list includes Royal Caribbean Cruise
Lines, Turner Network Television, Sothebys.com, Sunbeam and M&M Mars
Online to name few.

    Health Care/Life Science Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year
    Peter von Dyck
    Zassi Medical Evolutions - Fernandina Beach

      Peter von Dyck has taken an idea and turned it into one of the
world's most innovative medical devices for ostomy management. Peter's
invention of the Continent Ostomy Port (COP) System is the world's
first non-surgical, "pouch free" device that will improve the quality
of life and restore continence to patients who have undergone ostomy
surgery - the surgical creation of an opening in the abdomen through
which bodily waste is disposed typically through an exterior bag.
Working out of his basement Peter self-financed and developed a
comprehensive business plan, patent research and market assessment of
his technologies. After launching a presentation to some former
colleagues, during 1997 Peter closed a deal with a handshake for
$400,000 to finance the start-up of Zassi Medical Evolutions, Inc.
(Zassi). The company was named after Peter's sister who fell victim to
a traumatic head accident that to this day has left her in a coma.
Currently Zassi is still riding on a wave of success with the most
recent accomplishment of securing its licensing agreement with
Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS).

    Real Estate/Construction Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year
    Don Buckner
    Vac-Tron Equipment - Okahumpka

      Don Buckner launched Vac-Tron Equipment and created a market which
did not previously exist. Vac-Tron Equipment designs and manufactures
portable environmental vacuum clean-up equipment which has dozens of
industrial, private and municipal uses including directional drilling,
physically locating underground utility lines by vacuum, industrial
clean-up, manhole/storm drain clean-up and natural disaster clean-up.
Vac-Tron products are the only products of their kind on the market
which are designed for wet or dry industrial use. Also, all Vac-Tron
equipment is engineered to protect itself and operators from damage.
Finally, by using a Vac-Tron unit for locating utility lines, a chore
that takes hours when done by hand can now be completed in just
minutes. Through aggressive advertising and customer service, word
began to circulate around the industry about the benefits of vacuum
excavation, and vacuum excavation is now being mandated in many
states. To date, more than 700 Vac-Tron units are working in the
field, with close to 100 units being produced per month (which is over
one-third of the vacuum units that are sold globally). Currently,
Vac-Tron has over 40 national dealers and 110 dealer outlets around
the Country, which is the largest distribution network in the world
among its competitors.

    Retail/Consumer Products Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year
    Mark Begelman
    MARS, Inc. - Ft. Lauderdale

      Mark Begelman founded Office Club, a California-based office
supply chain. In 1991, after growing to 58 stores in nine western
states, Begelman's company merged with Office Depot, where he became
President and Chief Operating Officer of the rapidly-growing office
supply superstore. Throughout his entire retail career, Begelman
played lead guitar in various rock bands during his spare time, and
when Begelman founded MARS Music in 1996, he merged his experience as
a successful, entrepreneurial retailer with his passion for rock and
roll. With MARS (Music and Recording Superstore), Begelman has
revolutionized the retail music industry. In just three years of
operation, MARS has become one of the largest sellers of musical
instruments and equipment, with 34 superstores in 17 states and annual
sales in excess of $200 million. MARS is also the largest provider of
music instruction in the nation, giving in excess of 500,000 music
lessons per year. In addition, the Company is preparing to launch its
e-commerce initiative, www.marsmusic.com, geared towards musicians of
all levels and musical styles.

    Services Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year
    Paul "Mac" Langston
    Flightline Group, Inc. - Tallahassee

      Paul "Mac" Langston launched Coastal Aviation Services (which
ultimately became Flightline Group, Inc.) in 1982 in Tallahassee,
Florida. The business began by providing aero medical services,
transporting organs and medicines by aircraft. In an alliance with
Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, Mac developed Tallahassee's first aero
medical emergency service, Life Flight, a 24 hour medically equipped
helicopter service. This was the 48th service of this type established
in the United States. Life Flight was a great success for Flightline
in its early days and over time provided the community recognition
necessary to spawn other opportunities and business lines/alliances.
In 1986, Life Flight won the Aeromedical Safety Award for logging over
6,000 consecutive accident free missions. The program also won the MBB
Golden Hour Pilot Award. Now Flightline provides aircraft fuel
services and chartered flight services.

    Technology Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year
    David Chessler
    ParView, Inc. - Sarasota

      David Chessler, 31, is the founder of ParView, Inc. David's vision
was to create a product that would give a golfer the same benefits as
if a course owner, pro, or caddie was riding in his/her golf cart. The
ParView system is an interactive video display unit mounted inside the
roof of a golf car, which utilizes Global Positioning Satellites (GPS)
technology. This technology enables the system to provide a graphical
overview of each hole, allowing a golfer to see the daily pin
placement and distances to the hole, visualize bunkers and hazards,
electronically keep score, order food from the clubhouse, as well as
have two-way communications with the pro shop. The benefits to the
course itself include higher customer satisfaction, greater speed of
play which increases number of rounds (thereby increasing revenue),
30%-40% growth in food and beverage revenue, and growth in pro shop
sales. Additionally, the video display unit is used as an electronic
billboard for national and local advertisers.

    Emerging Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year
    Peter Warhurst
    PODS, Inc. - St. Petersburg

      In 1996, Peter Warhurst and his partners formed Rope Developments
and opened Florida Mini Storage, a traditional mini storage operation
in Pinellas County, Florida. The search for a site for a second mini
storage location, including the high cost of retail property and the
time delays required to gain city, county and state approvals were the
source of much frustration for Mr. Warhurst and his partners. It was
Mr. Warhurst's entrepreneurial spirit, spurred by this frustration,
which resulted in the invention of the POD. The POD is a an
attractive, weather resistant and sturdy storage unit, which also
happens to be portable. The general idea is to bring the most popular
size mini storage units by truck to the customer location, lower the
unit hydraulically onto the driveway, let the customer pack the POD
and call when the unit is ready for pick up, then return the POD to
the warehouse for storage until it is needed by the customer. The POD
is also marketed to be used for local moves. The Company intends to
grow primarily to the east of the Mississippi in the near future. With
its strategy of growing through opening Company stores as well as
franchises, PODS hopes to populate the eastern United States
significantly enough in the next three to five years to enable it to
perform long-distance moves throughout the eastern US.

    Master Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year
    Richard Kessler
    The Kessler Enterprise, Inc. - Orlando

      The Kessler Enterprise, Inc. was founded by Richard Kessler after
he had sold his interest in Days Inn for $50,000,000. The Company had
dabbled in banking, land development, and residential construction
before finding its niche in themed hotel properties. The Company now
operates five, and soon to be six, such themed hotels including a
Castle theme, a Hollywood Studio theme, a Music and Art Theme, among
others. His goal is to provide his guest with a true experience in
their stay and he successfully competes directly with Disney in these
concept hotels. He looks to expand his operation from the 6 hotels of
today to 30-50 in the next 5 years. While some of these hotels
currently fly franchise flags, Richard intends to bring them totally
within his own brand of Grand Theme Hotels in that same 5 year period.
He has begun the process to allow this conversion through the creative
use of the Internet to allow virtual tours of the properties,
reservations, and other guest services, thereby eliminating some of
the big advantages of the national franchises - namely, perceived
common quality of the facilities and a national reservation system.

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    CONTACT:  Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year(R), Tampa, Fla.
              Lori Taylor, Florida EOY Program Manager
              813/225-4801
              lori.taylor@ey.com

    KEYWORD:  FLORIDA
    INDUSTRY KEYWORD: BANKING