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NDTO News Article

Dalrymple receives regional entrepreneur award

Lt. Gov. Jack Dalrymple, Chairman of the Dakota Growers Pasta Company, has been awarded the 2007 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award. Dalrymple, who also served as chairman of the North Dakota Trade Office Advisosry Board, received the entrepreneur award in the Master category for the Minnesota and Dakotas region. According to Ernst & Young, the award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic, growing businesses. Jack Dalrymple was selected by an independent panel of judges and the award was presented at an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year gala event at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis on June 19.

At age 22, Dalrymple took over the family farm and overcame many
hardships to expand his operation in eastern North Dakota. Facing falling
commodity prices and open trade, he began looking for new ways to add value
to his durum wheat. As organizing board chairman of Dakota Growers Pasta
Company, he helped lead over one thousand farm families build a $40 million
state-of-the-art integrated durum mill and pasta processing plant, which
has since become the third largest pasta manufacturer in North America.
“When you get over one thousand farmers and several hundred
hard-working employees all pulling in the same direction, you will be
surprised at what can be achieved,” said Dalrymple. “The real credit goes
to the dedicated management team and the great employees of Dakota Growers
Pasta Company. They really take a lot of pride in our business.”
Along with leading Dakota Growers Pasta Company, Dalrymple served 16
years in the North Dakota House of Representatives and currently serves as
Lieutenant Governor of the state.
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 Jack Dalrymple, and the companies they have built,” said Wendy Fox,
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year program director for the Minnesota
and Dakotas region.
As a Minnesota and Dakotas region award winner, Dalrymple 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 Minnesota and Dakotas program, local sponsors include the law
firm of Faegre & Benson LLP and Twin Cities Business magazine.
About Dakota Growers Pasta Company
Dakota Growers Pasta Company, Inc., headquartered in Carrington, North
Dakota, is the third largest manufacturer and marketer of dry pasta
products in North America and the manufacturer and distributor of
Dreamfields(TM) Healthy Carb Living Pasta. Dreamfields(TM) pasta is an
excellent source of fiber, has five grams of digestible carbohydrates and a
65% lower glycemic index as compared to regular pasta.
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 http://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.