BLOOMINGTON, Ill.—Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) has announced that Nick Williams, chief executive officer of Keplr Vision, was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year 2021 Midwest Award finalist. Now in its 35th year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year program honors unstoppable business leaders whose ambition, ingenuity and courage in the face of adversity help catapult us from the now to next and beyond, according to the announcement. Williams was selected by a panel of independent judges. Award winners will be announced during a special virtual celebration on July 28, 2021, and will become lifetime members of an esteemed community of Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni from around the world.

“I am both thrilled and honored to be named as a finalist for this esteemed award,” Williams said. “Despite challenges resulting from the global COVID-19 pandemic and an increasingly competitive market, I am so proud of this entire Keplr Vision team for cultivating a culture of best-in-class optical technology and best-in-class business operations, with a network of best-in-class ODs.” 
 
Entrepreneur Of The Year is one of the preeminent competitive award programs for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. The nominees are evaluated based on six criteria: entrepreneurial leadership; talent management; degree of difficulty; financial performance; societal impact and building a values-based company; and originality, innovation and future plans.
 
The announcement follows Keplr Vision’s recent news that it had secured 43 new partnerships with eyecare practices during the first half of this year, as VMAIL reported. This brought Keplr Vision’s management organization to over 230 locations across more than 30 states—an increase of over 150 locations in just two years.
 
Regional EY award winners are eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, to be announced in November 2021 at the Strategic Growth Forum, one of the nation’s most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies.