UIC to induct 20 to Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame

The University of Illinois at Chicago’s Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies will honor 20 icons of entrepreneurship at the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame on Thursday, Oct. 13, at the Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive.

The 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Edward Fiorentino, chairman & CEO, TerSera Therapeutics of Lake Forest.

“These entrepreneurs — and those that came before them  — exemplify the depth, diversity and vibrancy of entrepreneurship in this great global city that is Chicago,” said Nancy Harvey, executive director of the Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at UIC.

A cocktail reception will begin at 6 p.m. Dinner and an awards presentation will begin at 7 p.m.

The 2016 honorees listed by their company and location are:

• Arsen Avakian, Argo Tea (Chicago)
• Sid Bala, alligatortek (Oakbrook Terrace)
• Bob Carmody, Diana’s Bananas, Inc. (Chicago)
• Tony Dreyfuss, Metropolis Coffee (Chicago)
• Jeff Dreyfuss, Metropolis Coffee (Chicago)
• Sarah Eck-Thompson, All Terrain (Chicago)
• Brook Jay, All Terrain (Chicago)
• Ann Mond Johnson, Zest Health (Chicago)
• David N. Jonas, JVC Investment Partners, PharMEDium (Northbrook)
• Albert Karoll, Richard Bennett Custom Tailors (Chicago)
• Jean Kroll, Sugar and Spice Bakery (Evanston)
• Katrina Markoff, Vosges Haut-Chocolat (Chicago)
• Thomas D. McElroy II, Level-1 Global Solutions, LLC (Chicago)
• Arthur Miller, MZI Group, Inc. (Chicago)
• David Morton, DMK Restaurants (Chicago)
• Nina Nashif, Healthbox (Chicago)
• Christa Orum-Keller, Midwest Groundcovers LLC (St Charles)
• Sam Pitroda, Pitroda Group (Oakbrook Terrace)
• Chandra Prasad, OMEGA & Associates, Inc. (Lisle)
• Frank Riordan, DMC, Inc. (Chicago)

Since 1985 Chicago’s entrepreneurial leaders have been recognized by induction into the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame. Among the nearly 500 distinguished members are: Godard Abel of BigMachines; Jeffrey Aronin of Ovation Pharmaceuticals; John H. Johnson of Johnson Publishing;  James Malackowski of Ocean Tomo; Andrew Mason of Groupon; and Jeffrey Sliver of Coyote Logistics.

More information about the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame.