NEW ORLEANS – Wesley Palmisano, CEO of Palmisano, a New Orleans commercial contracting firm, received the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2016 Award in the Industrial Services and Construction category in the Gulf Coast Area.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Award program. The award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Palmisano was selected by an independent panel of judges, and the award was presented at a special gala event at the Hilton Americas in Houston on Thursday, June 16, 2016.
“It is a huge honor to be chosen as EY Entrepreneur Of The Year from such a distinguished group of finalists,” Palmisano said. “I’d like to thank EY for acknowledging the hard work and dedication of all the finalists. Palmisano is a service provider with our success 100% dependent on our people. The biggest victory for the company over the past three years is not the projects we have built, but the talent we have assembled because our team is the company’s greatest asset. I’d also like to thank my wife Annie, who provides me with unwavering support as we work to take Palmisano to the next level.”
Palmisano said the company’s motto is “building to have an enduring impact on the community.”
Some recent, local Palmisano projects have included Trader Joe’s, Ace Hotel, Homewood Suites and the Pan-American Life Building.
As a Gulf Coast Area award winner, Palmisano is now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2016 national program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the U.S. Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced at the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards gala in Palm Springs, California, on November 19, 2016. The awards are the culminating event of the Strategic Growth Forum, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies. The U.S. Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall Award winner then moves on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in Monaco, June 2017.
Since 1986, EY, a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services, has honored entrepreneurs whose ingenuity, spirit of innovation and discipline have propelled their companies’ success, invigorated their industries, and benefited their communities. Now in its 30th year, the program has honored the inspirational leadership of such entrepreneurs as Howard Schultz of Starbucks Coffee Company, Robert Unanue of Goya Foods, and Mindy Grossman of HSN. Recent U.S. national winners include Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn, Hamdi Ulukaya, founder of Chobani, and 2015 winners Andreas Bechtolsheim and Jayshree Ullal of Arista Networks.
View a video about Palmisano here
