Security firm CEO taken by surprise

For someone involved in national security, Greg Celestan was caught off guard at Ernst & Young's annual Florida Entrepreneur of the Year awards ceremony June 10 at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate.

The chairman and CEO of Tampa-based Celestar Corp. really did not expect to be called out as a winner that night, so he didn't bother writing an acceptance speech.

Celestar, which focuses on support, training and intelligence for homeland security concerns, was named as the winning firm in the distribution, manufacturing and defense category from the West Central Florida region.

“It was actually quite a surprise,” Celestan tells Coffee Talk. “I thought it was quite the honor just to be nominated.”

Celestar has posted at least 1,000% revenue growth over the last five years, ending 2009 with $11.5 million. It was included on the Inc. 500 national list of fastest-growing companies last year.

Most of Celestar's 100 employees work directly with the U.S. Department of Defense at MacDill Air Force Base. Celestan gives them full credit for winning the Entrepreneur of the Year recognition and the company's success thus far.

“This award is inspiration for us to work even harder,” he says. “I really feel that this is just a starting point for us.”

Other regional winners include:

• Dr. A.K. Desai, chairman, CEO and president of Universal Health Care Group Inc. in St. Petersburg, in the health services category.

• Benjamin C. Fertic, CEO of World Triathlon Corp. in Tampa, in the marketing, media and entertainment category.

• Darryl Shaw, CEO, and Dr. Neil Shaw, chief medical officer, of BluePearl Veterinary Partners in Tampa, in the services category.

The regional winners will go on to the national Entrepreneur of the Year honors during the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum, to be held Nov. 13 in Palm Springs, Calif. This marks the 24th year for the awards program.