The Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame will host its inaugural induction event for the class of 2012 on Sat., Dec. 1 from 6 to 11 p.m. at the Estate, a historic venue located at 3109 Piedmont Dr in Buckhead, Ga. Although the Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame (EHOF) has been recognizing business leaders online and in its museum since 2002, this is the organization’s first official ceremony.
“Entrepreneurship is vital to our society,” said Mitch Schlimer, social entrepreneur and founder of the EHOF. “At least 70 percent of all startups fail within two years. I founded the EHOF to reverse that statistic in two ways: recognizing current business leaders who have impacted the world, and empowering our youth to become future entrepreneurs.”
The recipients are all founders and executives of companies that earn over $100 million in annual sales and exemplify the EHOF’s core values of philanthropy and innovation. They were chosen by an induction committee comprised of prominent business experts including author, keynote speaker and syndicated columnist Jane Applegate, Inc. Magazine’s editor-at-large Bo Burlingham and long time business journalist Rieva Lesonsky, formerly Entrepreneur Magazine’s Editor in Chief for more than 20 years.
The 2012 inductees include Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx and the world’s youngest female billionaire; Subway founder Fred Deluca; Harris Rosen, president and CEO of Rosen Hotels & Resorts; Don Dwyer of The Dwyer Group; and David Anderson, founder of restaurant chain Famous Dave’s. Steve Mariotti, founder of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, will receive a special social entrepreneurship and philanthropy award; and Dave and Catherine Cook will receive a youth award for their social network MeetMe.
Business owners and entrepreneurs are invited to attend the ticketed event. In addition to the awards ceremony, guests will have the chance to mingle with the inductees, entrepreneurs, members of the press, and other VIPs over cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. Doors will open at 6 p.m. and the ceremony will begin promptly at 7:30. After the awards presentation, guests are invited to stay for the after party and continue to network with fellow business leaders. Tickets are $250 each and reservations are required.
Mitch Schlimer founded the Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame and Museum in 2002 as a way of commemorating outstanding inventors and business leaders. The EHOF is housed within the EPICENTER, a leading center for studying and teaching entrepreneurship with a focus on youth outreach, named for its core values of entrepreneurship, philanthropy and innovation. The EPICENTER is located at 245 Peachtree Center Ave. in Atlanta. For more information, visit www.theehalloffame.com.