OEN Member NewsFounder of Ruby Receptionists named EY entrepreneur of the year (Portland Business Journal)

Two Portland-based companies picked up top honors in EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 competition.

The founders of Ruby Receptionists and Schmidt’s Naturals were named winners in the Pacific Northwest region in the services and retail and consumer products categories, respectively.

Jill Nelson founded Ruby Receptionists in 2003. The company provides virtual phone receptionist services to 6,400 small businesses around the United States.

Nelson sold a majority share of Ruby Receptionists to Updata Partners for $38.8 million in January 2015 but remains firmly at the helm. The company had $28.34 million in revenue and 372 employees in 2016. It landed at No. 76 on the Business Journal’s 2017 list of the region’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies, its tenth-consecutive year on the list.

Jaime Schmidt founded Schmidt’s Naturals, a maker of natural deodorant, in 2010. The Business Journal named the company the 2016 Manufacturer of the Year in the small company category

Nelson and Schmidt will compete with other regional winners for national honors, which will be awarded in November.

Source: www.bizjournals.com