Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates ambitious entrepreneurs who are shaping the future
AUSTIN, Texas, April 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced that Jeff Lee and Courtney Shields, co-founders of DIBS Beauty, were named Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2024 Gulf South Award finalists. The Gulf South program celebrates entrepreneurs from Central and South Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Now in its 38th year, Entrepreneur Of The Year is the preeminent competitive business award for audacious leaders who disrupt markets, revolutionize sectors and have a transformational impact on lives. Over the past four decades, the program has recognized the daring entrepreneurs with big ideas and bold actions that reshape our world.
Lee, who also serves as CEO of the company, and Shields, the company’s chief creative, were selected as finalists by an independent panel of judges. The candidates were evaluated based on their demonstration of building long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact, among other core contributions and attributes.
“Courtney and I are both the children of entrepreneurs who built businesses here in the U.S. from the ground up,” said Lee. “DIBS is about reaching people in all 50 states with simply, uncomplicated products, and about showing that Austin can be a hub for innovation in makeup, beauty and lifestyle. We’re grateful to E&Y shining a spotlight on so many great businesses coming out of the region.”
Entrepreneur Of The Year honors many different types of business leaders for their ingenuity, courage and entrepreneurial spirit. The program celebrates original founders who bootstrapped their business from inception or who raised outside capital to grow their company; transformational CEOs who infused innovation into an existing organization to catapult its trajectory; and multigenerational family business leaders who reimagined a legacy business model to fortify it for the future.
Regional award winners will be announced on June 13, 2024 during a special celebration and will become lifetime members of an esteemed community of Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni from around the world. The winners will then be considered by the National judges for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, which will be presented in November at the annual Strategic Growth Forum®, one of the nation’s most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies.
In addition to Entrepreneur Of The Year, EY US supports other entrepreneurs through the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ program and the EY Entrepreneurs Access Network to help connect women founders and Black and Hispanic/Latino entrepreneurs, respectively, with the resources, network and access needed to unlock their full potential.
Sponsors
Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards include presenting sponsors PNC Bank, Cresa, Marsh USA, SAP and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. In the Gulf South, sponsors also include ADP, DLA Piper, Marsh McLennan Agency, vcfo, Big Picture Inc., and Pierpont Communications.
About Entrepreneur Of The Year®
Founded in 1986, Entrepreneur Of The Year® has celebrated more than 11,000 ambitious visionaries who are leading successful, dynamic businesses in the US, and it has since expanded to nearly 80 countries and territories globally.
The US program consists of 17 regional programs whose panels of independent judges select the regional award winners every June. Those winners compete for national recognition at the Strategic Growth Forum® in November where National finalists and award winners are announced. The overall National winner represents the US at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year® competition. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.
About DIBS Beauty®
DIBS Beauty was launched in 2021 with the belief that the beauty is in the blend. Its easy, must-have makeup delivers quick and powerful color transformations in the flick of a wrist. DIBS has been repeatedly recognized by leading industry publications, including WWD, Vogue, Glamour, Allure, Cosmopolitan and Essence for its award-winning products and as one of the fastest-growing brands in the industry. All DIBS products are vegan, clean, talc-free, cruelty-free, and Leaping Bunny-certified. An Austin original, DIBS is sold at www.dibsbeauty.com and Revolve.
About EY
EY exists to build a better working world, helping to create long-term value for clients, people and society and build trust in the capital markets.
Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform and operate.
Working across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax and transactions, EY teams ask better questions to find new answers for the complex issues facing our world today.
EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.
Finalist Company’s PR Contact: Jackie Sands-Kirchner
Company: Tractenberg & Co.
Tel: 212-929-7979
Email: [email protected]
SOURCE DIBS Beauty
