Ulliance President & CEO Named Finalist for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015 Michigan and Northwest Ohio Award

EY has selected Kent Sharkey, president, chief executive officer and founder of Ulliance, Inc. (Ulliance) as a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2015 Awards in the Michigan and Northwest Ohio region. The award program recognizes entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.

Sharkey’s entrepreneurial spirit began at a young age of 8 when he founded his first business. Sharkey, a University of Michigan undergraduate and graduate, formed Ulliance in 1990 to offer employee assistance programs (EAP), counseling, coaching, and crisis incident management services. In its 25 years under Sharkey’s leadership, Ulliance has grown its service lines to include wellness programs and training services, organizational and leadership development consulting, an ethics reporting hotline, and career transition services. Today, Ulliance serves 260 organizations, nearly one million covered members across 41 industries including Fortune 500 companies with record revenue in 2014.

“Ulliance was formed with one mission in mind: to make a difference in the lives of the people we help. I’m proud to lead a great team that lends emotional support to people’s work and personal lives,” said Sharkey. “It’s an honor to be recognized among many Michigan and Ohio entrepreneurs competing for this prestigious business award.”

Sharkey was selected as a finalist by a panel of independent judges. Award winners will be announced at a special gala event on June 11, 2015 at the Cobo Grand Ballroom in Detroit.

Now in its 29th year, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities across more than 60 countries throughout the world.

Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year National program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California on November 14, 2015. The awards are the culminating event of the EY Strategic Growth Forum®, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.

Founded and produced by EY, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and SAP America.