September 1, 2020

FloraCraft® CEO Eric Erwin Named EY Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist

FloraCraft® CEO Eric Erwin has been named by Ernst & Young LLP as an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2020 Michigan and Northwest Ohio Award finalist.

Erwin was one of 29 finalists selected by a panel of independent judges from a competitive pool of nominations. Now in its 34th year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year program honors entrepreneurial business leaders whose ambitions deliver innovation, growth and prosperity as they build and sustain successful businesses that transform our world.

Award winners will be announced during a virtual event on Thursday, Oct. 8.

“An entrepreneurial spirit is woven into our company culture and encouraged by everyone,” Erwin said. “Over the past several years, we have made incredible strides with innovation to strengthen and to streamline our production process. We’re looking forward to sharing more soon about how our innovation will not only offer a superior new product to our customers, but will benefit our planet.

“On behalf of the entire FloraCraft family, it’s an honor to be recognized by EY for our efforts. During these challenging times when our team has had to stretch its tremendous creativity even further, this award has truly special significance.”

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, including overcoming adversity, financial performance, societal impact and commitment to building a values-based company, innovation and talent management. Since its launch, the program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries around the world.

Erwin has led FloraCraft since 2017, driving initiatives to retain and to develop employees through new company programs and improvement of the company’s business model while emphasizing a significant focus on sustainability and giving back to the Ludington community.

During his tenure, a longtime dream of Company owner Lee Schoenherr was realized, who wanted to ensure FloraCraft was in control of its own destiny. FloraCraft took on its most ambitious project ever to become fully vertically integrated by bringing polystyrene extrusion in-house, rather than purchasing product from a supplier. The move created jobs, improved efficiencies, enhanced quality and reduced the company’s carbon footprint.

Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, to be announced in November during a virtual awards gala. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award in June 2021.