Viridian Energy CEO Named Entrepreneur of the Year
6/21/2012
NORWALK, Conn., Jun 20, 2012 -- Ernst & Young LLP today announced that Michael Fallquist, founder and CEO of Viridian Energy, a leading provider of affordable, green energy, received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year(R) 2012 Award in the Cleantech category in New York. The award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Fallquist was selected by an independent panel of judges, and the award was presented at a special gala on June 19, 2012 at the Marriott Marquis.
"It is an honor to receive such a prestigious award," Fallquist said. "Viridian started as an idea to help individuals make a large collective environmental impact by simply switching their energy supplier. It has turned into so much more. Viridian would not be the company it is today without our exceptional executive team and our dedicated independent sales associates. Their belief, support and dedication to this initial idea helped create a company that is better than I could have ever envisioned."
Under Fallquist's leadership, Viridian Energy has experienced explosive growth. In 2009, the first year of business, revenues were $2.2 million. By 2011, the third operating year, revenue topped $205.5 million. The company's customer base has grown to more than 200,000 people in Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Fallquist's vision for the company includes a long-term strategy of diversified and aggressive growth.
Now in its 26th year, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Program has honored the inspirational leadership of such entrepreneurs as Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com, Michael Dell of Dell Inc., Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines, Fred Smith of FedEx, Larry Page and Sergey Brin of Google, Richard Schulze of Best Buy, Andrew Mason of Groupon, Mindy Grossman of HSN, Inc., Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn, and many more.
As a New York award winner, Fallquist is now eligible for consideration for the National Entrepreneur Of The Year 2012 Award. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the National Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall Award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California, on November 17, 2012. The awards are the culminating event of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum(R), the nation's most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.