“It is an incredible honor to be chosen as Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Winner in the Transformational Leader Category,” said Hawthorne-Castro. “It is unbelievable that Tim Hawthorne received the EY Award nearly 20 years ago in the Midwest region and the tradition continues with Hawthorne doing groundbreaking work for our amazing clients and our exceptional team members who make it all possible!”

Hawthorne’s innovative approach combines the art of right-brain creativity with the science of left-brain data analytics to create meticulously crafted and expertly executed campaigns that deliver dramatic results for clients. Hawthorne has won hundreds of creative awards over its nearly 35 year tenure, and since 2018, Hawthorne has won over 60 awards for its creative work and company culture, and Hawthorne-Castro has won dozens of awards for her leadership abilities and marketing influence.

“These inspiring entrepreneurs represent the leadership and brilliant ideas that drive growth and innovation in Greater LA,” said Scott Porter, Co-Director, Entrepreneur Of The Year in Greater Los Angeles. “It has been especially exciting to witness L.A.’s burgeoning entrepreneurial scene over the years. We’re delighted to celebrate these incredible innovators who have done so much for our community and our economy, and we’re grateful to be a part of the journey.”

Now in its 33rd year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities and more than 60 countries. EY is at the forefront of identifying game-changing business leaders and celebrating American ingenuity and is considered the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The program has honored the inspirational leadership of companies including Starbucks, Whole Foods, eBay, LinkedIn, Dollar Shave Club, LegalZoom.com and HSN.

To learn more about the Greater Los Angeles program, please visit www.ey.com/us/eoy/greaterla. Join us in congratulating this year’s winners on social media by following @EY_EOYUS and using #EOYGLA

About Hawthorne: 
Hawthorne, a creative, analytics and technology-driven advertising agency, specializes in strategic planning, creative development, production, media planning, buying and analytics, and campaign management for integrated marketing campaigns. With nearly 30 years of proven excellence, the agency combines persuasive brand messaging with best-in-class analytic systems to create accountable, high performance advertising campaigns. Hawthorne helps brands efficiently target their consumers, improve cost per acquisition, optimize the lifetime value of a brand’s customers, and even drive consumer response to key retail outlets or corporate locations. As a leading analytic and data driven, accountable brand advertising agency, Hawthorne specializes in integrated campaign solutions. The company offers a full suite of integrated solutions with creative, media, digital and mobile services. Hawthorne maintains brand integrity and metrics to efficiently and effectively optimize the results of its clients’ integrated media budgets via leading edge and proven data analytics. Hawthorne has developed successful award-winning campaigns for countless Fortune 500 brands. Please visit www.hawthornedirect.com and http://www.linkedin.com/company/hawthorne-direct for more information.

About Entrepreneur Of The Year® 
Entrepreneur Of The Year^®, founded by EY, is the world’s most prestigious business awards program for entrepreneurs. The program makes a difference through the 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 awards program of its kind, 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 145 cities in more than 60 countries. ey.com/eoy

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored by SAP America and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. In Greater Los Angeles local sponsors include Platinum sponsor: Marsh; Gold sponsor: Tangram; Silver sponsors: Ballard Spahr LLP, Boston Private Bank, and Cresa; Media sponsor: C-Suite Media; and PR sponsor: Olmstead Williams Communications

About EY 
EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation is available via ey.com/privacy. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

CONTACT: Rachel Wille, 507-403-9347, rwille@sspr.com