Ludington, Michigan, September 1, 2020 – FloraCraft® CEO Eric Erwin has been named by Ernst & Young LLP as an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2020 Michigan and Northwest Ohio Award finalist.

Erwin was one of 29 finalists selected by a panel of independent judges from a competitive pool of nominations. Now in its 34th year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year program honors entrepreneurial business leaders whose ambitions deliver innovation, growth and prosperity as they build and sustain successful businesses that transform our world.

Award winners will be announced during a virtual event on Thursday, Oct. 8.

“An entrepreneurial spirit is woven into our company culture and encouraged by everyone,” Erwin said. “Over the past several years, we have made incredible strides with innovation to strengthen and to streamline our production process. We’re looking forward to sharing more soon about how our innovation will not only offer a superior new product to our customers, but will benefit our planet.

“On behalf of the entire FloraCraft family, it’s an honor to be recognized by EY for our efforts. During these challenging times when our team has had to stretch its tremendous creativity even further, this award has truly special significance.”

Entrepreneur Of The Year is one of the preeminent competitive award programs for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. The nominees are evaluated based on six criteria, including overcoming adversity, financial performance, societal impact and commitment to building a values-based company, innovation and talent management. Since its launch, the program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries around the world.

Erwin has led FloraCraft since 2017, driving initiatives to retain and to develop employees through new company programs and improvement of the company’s business model while emphasizing a significant focus on sustainability and giving back to the Ludington community.

During his tenure, a longtime dream of Company owner Lee Schoenherr was realized, who wanted to ensure FloraCraft was in control of its own destiny. FloraCraft took on its most ambitious project ever to become fully vertically integrated by bringing polystyrene extrusion in-house, rather than purchasing product from a supplier. The move created jobs, improved efficiencies, enhanced quality and reduced the company’s carbon footprint.

Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, to be announced in November during a virtual awards gala. 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 FloraCraft

FloraCraft is the world’s leading manufacturer of foam products for the craft and floral industries. From its headquarters in Ludington, Michigan FloraCraft and its 200+ employees provide innovative, American-made products to Walmart, Amazon, Michaels, JOANN, Hobby Lobby and other leading retailers. Founded after World War II, FloraCraft is a family-owned business success story built by owner and chairman Lee Schoenherr, who is dedicated to protecting American jobs. For more information, visit www.floracraft.com.

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

About EY Private

As Advisors to the ambitious™, EY Private professionals possess the experience and passion to support private businesses and their owners in unlocking the full potential of their ambitions. EY Private teams offer distinct insights born from the long EY history of working with business owners and entrepreneurs. These teams support the full spectrum of private enterprises including private capital managers and investors and the portfolio businesses they fund, business owners, family businesses, family offices and entrepreneurs. Visit ey.com/private

About EY

EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, strategy, transaction and consulting services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

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