2014 EY Entrepreneur of the Year: Jonathan Ord of DealerSocket

Just under a month after our exclusive story on DealerSocket taking on a new investment partner, the California-based business is making headlines once again. This time, it’s the CEO, Jonathan Ord, who has won the 2014 Entrepreneur of the Year award for the Orange County region, in the Business-to-Business division.

In a press release on the DealerSocket website, Ord said that, “I want to thank my family and by family I mean all those that have touched my life and the life of DealerSocket. Life is about relationships and I cherish all those that have helped me and the people around me.”

The award for Ord comes from a pool of 80 other finalists. The panel of 14 Independent judges consisted of many past winners of the EY EOY award as well as regional CEOs and a Chapman Business School professor.

In an interview with DrivingSales News, Kim Letch, Program Director for EY’s EOY award for the Orange County Region, talked about the characteristics of those who win these awards. She explained that, “all of our award recipients have the same things in common: they are passionate about making a huge, positive impact on the world we live in by creating jobs, disrupting the status quo and giving back to their communities.”

This victory puts Ord in elite company. Past winners of EY Entrepreneur of the year awards include the well-known Dale Pollak, who won in 2010 in as an Emerging Entrepreneur in the Midwest Region. Mike Jackson, won the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011 for the Florida region, heading AutoNation, Inc. listed as the largest automotive retailer in the United States.