Gwen Stanley, GHS alumna, named Entrepreneur of the Year 2017

Gwen Stanley grew up in Grygla, MN, and was in the first graduating class of Grygla High School in 1975. Her parents are Ida Stanley and the late Arnold Stanley. She currently resides in Minneapolis and was just presented with a prestigious award. Along with her partner, Michael Zenk, and a third founder, they founded Venture Bank in 2001. Venture Bank has four locations; the main office is located in Bloomington. The other three locations are Golden Valley, Eagan and Roseville. Stanley, Executive VP & Founder, and Zenk were recently awarded one of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards for the Upper Midwest. 

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Michael Zenk and Gwen Stanley of Venture Bank named Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2017 Award winner in Upper Midwest

EY announced that Michael Zenk, President and  Founder, and Gwen Stanley, EVP and Founder of Venture Bank, received the Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2017 Award in the Upper Midwest. The award recognizes entrepreneurs who are excelling in areas such as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Michael Zenk and Gwen Stanley were selected by an independent panel of judges, and the award was presented at a black tie gala on June 8 in Minneapolis. 

“EY has been recognizing leading entrepreneurs for over three decades,” said Joe McCarney, Entrepreneur Of The Year Program Director for the Upper Midwest. “The class of winners in 2017 represent new ways of thinking, disruptive business models and overall dynamism that make this country a great place to do business.”

“Our philosophy is to help every single one of our customers succeed in their business.”   Michael Zenk, 2017

“Our mission is to help local businesses succeed by providing creative, flexible, tailored banking solutions. We work with our businesses so that their banking relationship is beneficial to not only their borrowing needs, but also to improve and simplify their deposit and cash management processes. We want to be their partner in their success.  Most importantly, our employees buy into this concept.” Gwen Stanley, 2017

Since 1986, EY has honored entrepreneurs whose ingenuity, spirit of innovation and discipline have driven their companies’ success, transformed their industries and made a positive impact on their communities. Now in its 31st year, the program has honored the inspirational leadership of such entrepreneurs as:

• Howard Schultz of Starbucks Coffee Company

• Pierre Omidyar of eBay, Inc.

• Douglas Baker Jr. of Ecolab, Inc. 

• Richard Schulze of Best Buy

• Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn

• Steve Gill and Josh Hochschuler of Talenti Gelato

• Hamdi Ulukaya of Chobani

• James Park of Fitbit

As an Upper Midwest award winner, Michael Zenk and Gwen Stanley are now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall National Award winner, will be announced at the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards gala in Palm Springs, California on November 18, 2017. The awards are the culminating event of the EY Strategic Growth Forum™, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies. The Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall Award winner then moves on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in Monaco in June 2018.

This news release has been issued by Ernst & Young LLP, a member of the global EY organization that provides services to clients in the U.S. For more information, visit ey.com.