Green Mountain Energy Company’s CEO Paul Thomas
Named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2010 Award Winner in Central Texas
Austin, Texas –Austin, Texas-based Green Mountain Energy Company today announced that Chief Executive Officer Paul Thomas received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2010 Award in Central Texas. According to Ernst & Young LLP, the award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic, growing businesses. Thomas was selected by an independent panel of judges, and the award was presented at a gala event in Austin on June 3, 2010.
“I am proud and honored to be recognized by Ernst & Young as an ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ Award Winner for Central Texas, especially considering the caliber of the other award finalists,” said Thomas. “Although this prestigious award has my name on it, it clearly represents the collective efforts of each and every Green Mountain employee’s ongoing hard work and dedication to help the company fulfill its unique mission to change the way power is made and remain a growing and dynamic business .”
Thomas has more than 30 years experience in the energy industry. In 2000, he joined Green Mountain as Chief Operating Officer because he was excited for the opportunity to make a difference for the environment, later becoming Chief Executive Officer in 2002.
Green Mountain, which was founded in 1997, helped pioneer renewable energy as an option for retail electric customers. The company became the first retail electric provider in Texas to offer renewable energy when electricity competition began in 2001. The company has two primary business units: residential electricity and commercial electricity. Both divisions also offer carbon offset and renewable energy certificate products. Thomas led the company to profitable growth and expanded to new markets while staying true to the company’s environmental mission.
As a Central Texas award winner, Thomas is now eligible for consideration for the Ernst & Young LLP Entrepreneur Of The Year 2010 national program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the overall national Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California on November 13, 2010. The awards are the culminating event of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.
The “Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year” awards program celebrates its 24th anniversary this year. The program honors entrepreneurs who have demonstrated exceptionality in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.
Sponsors
Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year awards are pleased to have the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and SAP America as national sponsors. In Central Texas local sponsors include Austin Business Journal, IPS Advisors, DLA Piper, ADP, Bridgepoint Consulting, Bowne, Cabot and The Silverton Foundation.
About Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur Of The Year® Awards Program
Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur Of The Year® is the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The award makes a difference through the unique way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 135 cities in 50 countries.
Ernst & Young refers to the global organization of member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young LLP is a client-serving member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited located in the U.S.
About Green Mountain Energy Company
Green Mountain, the nation’s leading competitive retail provider of cleaner energy and carbon offset solutions, was founded in 1997 “to change the way power is made.” The company is the longest serving green power marketer in the U.S. and in 2009 was ranked the “Highest in Business Customer Satisfaction with Retail Electric Service” by J.D. Power and Associates1. Green Mountain offers consumers and businesses the choice of clean electricity products from renewable sources such as wind and water, as well as a variety of carbon offset products. Green Mountain customers have collectively helped avoid over 11.3 billion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. For more information, visit GreenMountain.com.
1Green Mountain Energy Company received the highest numerical score among business electric service retailers in Texas in the proprietary J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Texas Business Retail Electric Provider Satisfaction StudySM. Study based on responses from 2,231 businesses measuring 7 retailers and measures opinions of businesses with their electric service provider. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed May-June and September-October 2009. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com.
