Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced that Mike Vellano, President and CEO of the Vortex Companies was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2020 Gulf Coast Area Award winner. The Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards program is one of the preeminent competitive awards for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. The award recognizes entrepreneurial leaders who are excelling in overcoming adversity; financial performance; societal impact and commitment to building a values-based company; innovation; and talent management. Mr. Vellano was selected by an independent panel of judges. The award was announced through the program's first-ever virtual awards gala, hosted by Deborah Norville, anchor of Inside Edition, on October 6, 2020.

The Vortex Companies is a provider of environmentally friendly trenchless infrastructure products and services and specializes in cost-effectively restoring existing water and sewer infrastructure to like-new condition without the need for digging. "Given the current global economic environment, I am extremely humbled to be one of the eight visionary winners of this award. It is a credit and testament to the management team's faith in my leadership and our entire organization's dedication and drive to succeed in these challenging times," said Mike Vellano. "We had built tremendous momentum in 2019, and we were still able to safely, and successfully, navigate through the COVID-19 crisis."

Since 1986, EY US has honored entrepreneurs whose ingenuity, spirit of innovation and tenacity have driven their companies' success, transformed their industries and made a positive impact on their communities. By winning this prestigious award, Mr. Vellano will go on to become a lifetime member of the esteemed multi-industry community of previous award winners, with exclusive, ongoing access to the experience, insight and wisdom of fellow alumni and other ecosystem members in over 60 countries — all supported by vast EY resources.

As a Gulf Coast Area award winner, Mr. Vellano is now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020 National Awards. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced Thursday, November 19, during a virtual awards gala. The awards are the culminating event of this year's virtual Strategic Growth Forum®, the nation's most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award in June 2021.

About Entrepreneur Of The Year® 

Entrepreneur Of The Year® is the world's most prestigious business awards program for unstoppable entrepreneurs. These visionary leaders deliver innovation, growth and prosperity that transform our world. The program engages entrepreneurs with insights and experiences that foster growth. It connects them with their peers to strengthen entrepreneurship around the world. Entrepreneur Of The Year is the first and only truly global awards program of its kind. It celebrates entrepreneurs through regional and national awards programs in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries. Winners go on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ title. ey.com/us/eoy

The Entrepreneur Of The Year program has honored the inspirational leadership of entrepreneurs such as:

• Joe DeSimone of Carbon, Inc.
• Howard Schultz of Starbucks Corporation
• Pierre Omidyar of eBay, Inc.
• Jodi Berg of Vitamix
• Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn
• Hamdi Ulukaya of Chobani
• Kendra Scott of Kendra Scott LLC
• Andreas Bechtolsheim and Jayshree Ullal of Arista Networks
• James Park of Fitbit
• Daymond John of Fubu

About the Vortex Companies

The Vortex Companies deliver advanced trenchless technologies and turnkey services to cost effectively renew municipal, industrial and commercial infrastructure. The Vortex Services division provides lining and coating solutions, pipe bursting, CCTV and inspection. The Vortex Products division develops and sells manhole and pipe rehabilitation materials, polymeric coatings and resins, sewer robot systems, and high-speed drain cleaning tools.

With strategic acquisitions planned for the second half of 2020, the Vortex Companies remains focused on its vision of providing a broad range of intelligent and economical trenchless infrastructure renewal solutions, supported by highly experienced and trained personnel. For more information, go to: www.vortexcompanies.com.