EY Announces StorageMart President Cris Burnam is an EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2014 Award Winner in the Central Midwest
Columbia, MO (PRWEB) June 21, 2014 -- EY today announced that President, Cris Burnam of StorageMart, a privately-held self storage company in the U.S. and Canada, received the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2014 Award in the Services & Real Estate category in the Central Midwest. The award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Burnam was selected by an independent panel of judges, and the award was presented at a special gala event at the Sheraton Overland Park hotel on June 19.
“It’s an honor to receive this award and a testament to the talented and dedicated people working beside me. I’ve been fortunate to work closely with my brothers and sister and learn from my mentor, my dad, Gordon Burnam” says, Cris Burnam, who continues, “My hope is that being recognized for achievement as an entrepreneur reminds others in the trenches that ‘it is the courage to continue that counts’.”
StorageMart self storage company was founded by the Burnam family in 1999. The company doubled in size in 2008 with a successful takeover of a publicly-held Canadian storage portfolio. Most recently, StorageMart acquired a set of 17 self storage properties in Des Moines, Iowa and have plans to continue growing by acquiring self storage properties and converting existing real estate into self storage facilities. Cris Burnam champions StorageMart’s company culture, to “focus on the customer experience, because that’s what matters most”. StorageMart if also a founder of Charity Storage, the first self storage industry-led non-profit organization, which supports KureIt Kidney Cancer Research, local Habitat for Humanity branches, women’s shelters, foster care and adoption resource centers and more.
Now in its 28th year, the program has honored the inspirational leadership of such entrepreneurs as Howard Schultz of Starbucks Coffee Company, Pierre Omidyar of eBay, Inc., and Mindy Grossman of HSN. Recent US national winners include Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn; Hamdi Ulukaya, founder of Chobani; and 2013 winner Hamid Moghadam, CEO and Chairman of Prologis.
As a Central Midwest award winner, Burnam is now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2014 national program, to be held at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California, on November 15, 2014. The awards are the culminating event of the EY Strategic Growth Forum®, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.
Sponsors
Founded and produced by EY, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are sponsored in the United States by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and SAP America.
In the Central Midwest, sponsors include Lockton Companies, Enterprise Bank and Trust, Armstrong Teasdale, Stinson Leonard Street, Merrill Corporation, Smart Business and CommonGround.
About StorageMart
Headquartered in Columbia, Missouri since its formation with a single store in 1999, StorageMart now owns and operates 149 full-service self storage facilities throughout the United States and Canada. In addition to renting out self storage units, StorageMart properties offer for purchase a wide variety of high quality packing and moving supplies, making each StorageMart a one-stop shopping spot for all moving, packing and storage needs. For more information, visit http://www.storage-mart.com.
StorageMart Gives is the charitable arm of the company. Its mission is to identify strong, non-profit organizations to work with as partners in every market StorageMart calls home. Partner organizations include the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Open Books (Chicago), the Food Bank of Northeast and Central Missouri and the Des Moines Music Coalition as well as organizations dedicated to animal welfare, children’s advocacy groups and women’s shelters. StorageMart is also a charter member of Charity Storage, an industry wide giving back program providing financial assistance to non-profit organizations across the United States, including Kure-It Cancer Research.
About EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™
EY Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The unique award makes a difference through the 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, 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 145 cities in more than 60 countries.
About EY’s Strategic Growth Markets practice
EY’s Strategic Growth Markets (SGM) practices guide leading high-growth companies. Our multidisciplinary teams of elite professionals provide perspective and advice to help our clients accelerate market leadership. SGM delivers assurance, tax, transactions and advisory services to thousands of companies spanning all industries. EY is the undisputed leader in taking companies public, advising key government agencies on the issues impacting high-growth companies and convening the experts who shape the business climate. For more information, please visit us at ey.com/us/strategicgrowthmarkets, or follow news on Twitter @EY_Growth.
About EY
EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.
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Sarah Little, StorageMart, 573-449-0091, [email protected]
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