Entrepreneurs honored for growth

SARASOTA — Five Gulf Coast executives were among nine Florida leaders honored with the prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award at a Thursday night gala at the Fontainebleau in Miami Beach.

The men are the top executives at PPi Technologies Group, Sarasota; Accuform Manufacturing, Brooksville; C1 Bank, St. Petersburg; Tervis Tumbler, Venice; and DEX Imaging, Tampa.

They have diverse backgrounds but were selected for their “extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities,” says a release from Ernst & Young. Collective, the nine Floridians honored grew employment for their companies by 64% and revenue by 48% between 2010 and 2012.