Laurence J. Pino, founder and CEO of Dynetech Corporation is one of two, Central Florida finalists in contention for the 18th Annual National Entrepreneur of the Year title. The Orlando CEO will be at the national conference in Palm Springs, CA from November 17–20 to compete with 350 national finalists for the 18th Annual National Entrepreneur of the Year title, presented by the accounting firm of Ernst & Young.
Pino was named a regional Entrepreneur of the Year in the consumer category on June 23 at the 18th Annual Regional Entrepreneur of the Year Awards Gala and was inducted in the Entrepreneur of the Year Hall of Fame. If he wins a national award, Pino would continue on to the World Conference in Monte Carlo, Monaco in May, 2006.
Pino is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame who received his J.D. degree from New York University School of Law and studied internationally at schools in Rome, Paris, and Madrid. He is a commercial litigation attorney and a member in good standing of the Florida, California, and New York Bar Associations. Over the past 25 years, Pino has transacted real estate, stock, and investment ventures worth hundreds of millions of dollars. As an entrepreneur, he has started, managed, and in some cases, spun off more than 45 successful businesses.
The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year competition recognizes business leaders who personify entrepreneurial excellence and the spirit that drives growing businesses. An award nominee must be a business owner or manager who is primarily responsible for the recent performance of a private or public company and be an active member of top management.
Previous winners include Jeff Bezos (Amazon.com), Howard Schultz (Starbucks Corp.), and Wayne Huizenga (Blockbuster Entertainment and Waste Management Inc.). Huizenga was the 2004 national winner, who went on to win the 2005 World Entrepreneur of the Year award in Monte Carlo this past May.
Nominees in both the regional and national competition are evaluated by panels of judges that include entrepreneurs and prominent leaders from academia, business, and the media. Each independent regional judging panel selects categories and award recipients based on the quality and quantity of the nominations received. Each independent panel of judges is allowed complete discretion in determining categories and award recipients.