EY Announces Ken LaRoe of Climate First Bank as an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2024 Florida Award Winner
June 19 2024 - 9:00AM
Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced that CEO and Founder
Ken LaRoe of Climate First Bank was named an Entrepreneur Of The
Year® 2024 Florida Award winner. Entrepreneur Of The Year is the
preeminent competitive awards program for entrepreneurs and leaders
of high-growth companies.
Ken LaRoe was selected by an independent judging panel made up
of previous award winners, leading CEOs and other business leaders.
Candidates were evaluated based on their ability to create
long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, commitment to their
purpose and the demonstration of growth and substantial impact,
among other key indicators.
"I am deeply honored to receive the Entrepreneur of the Year
award on behalf of Climate First Bank. This recognition underscores
our commitment to pioneering sustainable banking practices and
driving positive environmental impact. We remain steadfast in our
mission to lead by example in the banking industry and to empower
our customers to make environmentally responsible financial
decisions. This accolade inspires us to continue pushing boundaries
and setting new standards for sustainable banking," said LaRoe.
Climate First Bank is a trailblazer in sustainable banking,
dedicated to integrating environmental stewardship into every facet
of its operations. With a mission to drive positive change through
financial innovation, the bank prioritizes sustainability in its
lending, investment, and community engagement strategies. Committed
to transparency and impact, the bank empowers individuals and
businesses alike to make eco-conscious financial decisions,
fostering a greener, more resilient future for all.
As a Florida award winner, LaRoe is now eligible for
consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 National
Awards. The National Award winners, including the Entrepreneur Of
The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced in
November at the Strategic Growth Forum®, one of the nation’s most
prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies.
The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will
then move on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year®
Award in June 2025.
Entrepreneur Of The Year recognizes many different types of
business leaders for their ingenuity, courage and entrepreneurial
spirit. The program celebrates original founders who bootstrapped
their business from inception or who raised outside capital to grow
their company; transformational CEOs who infused innovation into an
existing organization to catapult its trajectory; and
multigenerational family business leaders who reimagined a legacy
business model to fortify it for the future.
The Entrepreneur Of The Year program has recognized the
leadership of entrepreneurs such as:
- Ellen Latham of Orangetheory Fitness
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- Hamdi Ulukaya of Chobani, Inc.
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- Kendra Scott of Kendra Scott LLC
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- Holly Thaggard and Amanda Baldwin of Supergoop!
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- Michael Happe of Winnebago Industries
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- Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn Corporation
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- Steven Allison Mansell of Autonation, Inc.
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Entrepreneur Of The Year Award winners become lifetime members
of a global, multi-industry community of entrepreneurs. They
receive exclusive, ongoing access to the experience, insight and
wisdom of program alumni and other ecosystem members in more than
60 countries — all supported by vast EY resources.
In addition to Entrepreneur Of The Year, EY US supports other
entrepreneurs through the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™(Winning
Women) program and the EY Entrepreneurs Access Network (EAN) to
help connect women founders and Black and Hispanic/Latino
entrepreneurs, respectively, with the resources, network and access
needed to unlock their full potential.
SponsorsFounded and produced by Ernst &
Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards include presenting
sponsors PNC Bank, Cresa, Marsh USA, SAP and the Ewing Marion
Kauffman Foundation.
About Climate First
Bank Climate First Bank is a
Certified B Corp, values-based digital community bank offering a
complete, full-service portfolio of simple and easy-to-use
traditional banking products. These products are powered by
technology to meet the expectations of today’s consumers. In
addition to offering standard banking services, the company places
a special emphasis on non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and
businesses committed to sustainability. Eco-conscious customers
will find dedicated loan options for solar photovoltaic (PV),
energy retrofits and infrastructure to help combat the climate
crisis. The bank reports annually on its impact in line with
corporate social responsibility goals, read the most recent Impact
Report here. Member FDIC.
About Entrepreneur Of The Year®Founded in 1986,
Entrepreneur Of The Year® has celebrated more than 11,000 ambitious
visionaries who are leading successful, dynamic businesses in the
US, and it has since expanded to nearly 80 countries and
territories globally.
The US program consists of 17 regional programs whose panels of
independent judges select the regional award winners every
June. Those winners compete for national recognition at
the Strategic Growth Forum® in November where National
finalists and award winners are announced. The overall
National winner represents the US at the World Entrepreneur Of
The Year® competition. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.
About EYEY exists to build a better working
world, helping to create long-term value for clients, people and
society and build trust in the capital markets.
Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150
countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow,
transform and operate.
Working across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax and
transactions, EY teams ask better questions to find new answers for
the complex issues facing our world today.
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more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global
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Media Contact Abigail DavisonUproar PR for
Climate First Bankadavison@uproarpr.com