DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., June 25, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Aftermarket Technology Corp.,(Nasdaq:ATAC), today announced that its Chairman, President and CEO, Don Johnson, received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year(r) 2007 Award in the Turnaround category in the Lake Michigan Area program. According to Ernst & Young, the award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic, growing businesses. Don Johnson was selected by an independent panel of judges and the award was presented at an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year gala event at Navy Pier, Chicago on June 22, 2007.
"I am honored to have been selected for this prestigious award. This recognition is a direct reflection of the dedicated efforts of the people of ATC during the past three years. Since early 2004, we have taken ATC from a little understood, no growth company mostly in the traditional automotive industry to a customer-focused and high growth organization with an impressive and diversified customer base spanning multiple industries. We have increased revenues by over 60% and doubled shareholders' value in this short period of time. We are proud of how we have transformed ATC."
The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year awards program celebrates its 21st anniversary this year and continues to honor entrepreneurs who have demonstrated excellence in such areas as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.
"Ernst & Young is honored to recognize extraordinary business leaders, such as Don Johnson and the companies they have built," said Randall L. Tavierne, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year program director for the Lake Michigan Area program.
As a Lake Michigan Area program award winner, Don Johnson is now eligible for consideration for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2007 national program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the overall national Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California on November 17, 2007. The national Entrepreneur Of The Year celebration is part of Ernst & Young's Strategic Growth Forum. The overall national Entrepreneur Of The Year award recipient is then considered for the world event held in Monte Carlo.
Sponsors
Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are pleased to have Bank of America as the national presenting sponsor, as well as SAP America and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation as national sponsors.
In the Lake Michigan Area program, local sponsors include Clifton Gunderson LLP, Smart Business Network, Globalcom, Inc., SolomonEdwardsGroup LLC, Marquette University, Grand Valley State University's Seidman College of Business, Indiana Business Magazine and NW Indiana Quarterly.
About ATC
ATC is headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois. The Company provides outsourced engineered solutions and supply chain logistics services to the light and medium/heavy-duty vehicle aftermarket and consumer electronics industries.
About the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards
The Entrepreneur Of The Year(r) awards program was created and is produced by professional services firm Ernst & Young LLP. As the first award of its kind, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year(r) Award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic and growing businesses. The program, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2006, honors entrepreneurs through regional, national and global award programs in over 125 cities and 40 countries.
About Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young, a global leader in professional services, is committed to enhancing the public's trust in professional services firms and in the quality of financial reporting. Its 114,000 people in 140 countries pursue the highest levels of integrity, quality, and professionalism in providing a range of sophisticated services centered on our core competencies of auditing, accounting, tax, and transactions. Further information about Ernst & Young and its approach to a variety of business issues can be found at www.ey.com/perspectives. Ernst & Young refers to the global organization of member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, a U.K. company limited by guarantee, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited does not provide services to clients. Ernst & Young LLP is a U.S. client-serving member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited.