JERSEY CITY, N.J., June 29, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Direct Edge today announced that Chief Executive Officer William O'Brien won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2010 Award in the financial services category in New Jersey. According to Ernst & Young LLP, the award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic, growing businesses. Mr. O'Brien was selected by an independent panel of judges, and the award was presented at a gala event at the Teaneck Marriott at Glenpointe on Thursday June 24.
"I am honored to have been selected along with some of New Jersey's most talented and driven entrepreneurs and companies," said Mr. O'Brien. "This award is a testament to the innovative culture at Direct Edge and the hard work and dedication of our entire team as we prepare for the official launch of America's newest stock exchange."
Direct Edge, headquartered in Jersey City, NJ, recently received approval from the Securities Exchange Commission to operate two national securities exchanges. On July 21, Direct Edge will officially launch its two exchanges, which will operate on a next-generation trading system designed to deliver optimal trading speed and efficiency to customers while helping to reduce technology costs for the company. The infrastructure will be housed in the new state-of-the-art Equinix NY4 data center in Secaucus, NJ.
The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year awards celebrate their 24th anniversary this year. The program honors entrepreneurs who have demonstrated exceptionality in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.
As a New Jersey award winner, Mr. O'Brien is now eligible for consideration for the Ernst & Young LLP Entrepreneur Of The Year 2010 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 13, 2010. The awards are the culminating event of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum, the nation's most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.
Sponsors
Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year awards are pleased to have the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and SAP America as national sponsors. In New Jersey, sponsors include regional sponsors Bowne & Co and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP and local sponsors Gibbons P.C., NJBIZ, NJTC and WithumSmith+Brown.
About Direct Edge
Direct Edge, America's newest stock exchange, offers the next generation of displayed markets. With U.S. cash equities volume routinely exceeding 1 billion shares per day, Direct Edge uses multiple ECN and exchange platforms and unique order types to match complementary forms of liquidity based on sensitivity to transaction cost, fill rate, and fill speed, while maintaining high execution quality and low latencies. Headquartered in Jersey City, N.J., Direct Edge is owned by a consortium that includes the International Securities Exchange, Knight Capital Group, Inc., Citadel Derivatives Group, The Goldman Sachs Group, and J.P. Morgan. More information about Direct Edge is available at http://www.directedge.com. Everybody Needs Some Edge.
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About Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur Of The Year® Awards Program
Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur Of The Year® is the world's most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The award makes a difference through the unique 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 award of its kind, Ernst & Young 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 135 cities in 50 countries.
Ernst & Young refers to the global organization of member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young LLP is a client-serving member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited located in the U.S.
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