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Meet the Michigan and Northwest Ohio judges

The success of the program relies on the efforts of our independent panel of judges. The panel comprises past Entrepreneur Of The Year® Award recipients and civic and community leaders who devote significant effort to review and deliberate the merits of each nominee.

Daryl Adams
President and CEO
The Shyft Group
2022 regional award winner

Daryl is President and CEO of The Shyft Group, a leading last-mile and specialty vehicle manufacturer comprised of nine go-to-market brands. In 2022, the organization reported more than $1b in revenue for the first time.

Daryl is a veteran leader with over 30 years in the automotive industry, having held positions at Lear Corporation and Midway Products prior to joining Shyft in 2014 as the Chief Operating Officer. Within six months, he was moved into the role of President and Chief Executive Officer. Under his leadership, the company has rebranded from Spartan Motors to The Shyft Group, more than doubled its earnings and scale, completed six acquisitions and one divestiture, and launched two new go-to-market brands and multiple industry-leading products.

Daryl is a strong advocate for STEM education. He sits on boards for LEAP, Detroit Public Safety Foundation and Business Leaders for Michigan and participates in various state and manufacturing associations to promote skilled trades. Daryl earned an MBA from Michigan State University and received his Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Management and Manufacturing from Lawrence Technological University.

In May of 2022, he was named a Notable Leader in EV by Crain’s Detroit Business. He was recognized as an EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2022 Michigan and Northwest Ohio Award winner and was named to the “Detroit 500 list” of Influential Business Leaders in 2022, 2020, 2019 and 2018. Daryl and his wife have three children and live in Novi, Michigan.  Back to top

Diana Callaghan
Managing Director
Endeavor Great Lakes

Diana has over 15 years of experience working locally, nationally and globally serving innovative companies and high-impact organizations. She specializes in strategy design and implementation, operational efficiency, performance improvement, financial and impact sustainability, business intelligence solutions and financial analysis. Diana is the Managing Director of Endeavor, leading the organization’s Great Lakes efforts. Founded in 1997, Endeavor promotes economic growth by selecting, mentoring and accelerating the growth of entrepreneurs leading high-performing companies with the most potential to create economic impact. New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman called the organization “the best anti-poverty program of all,” and innovative leaders like Reid Hoffman, Danny Meyer, Nick Beim, Bill Ford, Josh Silverman, Eric Roza, Edgar Bronfman, Dan Caruso, Joanna Rees and U2’s The Edge have joined the movement. Headquartered in New York City, Endeavor currently operates in nearly 41 growth markets throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and North America. It has over 2,300 selected founders in its portfolio (including the first $1b valued companies to come out of 12 countries). Endeavor’s 500 staff members around the world act as a concierge service to founders and help them access markets, mentorship, capital and leadership development support. Outside of her career, Diana has worked with organizations focused on accelerating entrepreneurship and impact around the world. She served as a consultant with entrepreneurs across Tanzania through a USAID fellowship and advised a leading impact organization in rural India on how to adopt innovative financial tools to support the empowerment of women living in extreme poverty. She currently serves as a board member of Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation. Diana received her B.A. in Economics with high distinction and her MBA with distinction from the University of Michigan. Back to top

Tamira Chapman
President and CEO
Storehouse In A Box LLC 
2023 regional award winner

Tamira Chapman is a visionary entrepreneur and accomplished attorney, renowned for her dynamic influence in the corporate and business sectors. As the founder of the Storehouse portfolio, she has expertly steered a thriving e-commerce business to capture the top market share and achieve a remarkable 97% customer retention rate. This exceptional leadership led Storehouse to be recognized as the 8th fastest-growing woman-owned company globally in 2022 by J.P. Morgan Chase and the Women President’s Organization. In 2023, Storehouse was honored as the Ecommerce Firm of the Year by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Minority Business Development Agency.

Tamira played a pivotal role in a Fortune 10 organization, leading the charge in global E-commerce marketing and social media strategies. She established the organization's first social media center of excellence, shaping marketing, advertising programs, and developing key legal strategies for brand management and compliance as the company ventured into new startup acquisitions. Her legal expertise was further developed at a top law firm, where she represented Fortune 50 companies in high-stakes intellectual property cases, software, data licensing, and technology agreements. Her work significantly contributed to protecting intellectual property and fostering brand development for her clients.

Her remarkable achievements have earned Tamira numerous accolades, including being recognized as an EY Entrepreneur Of The Year regional award winner in Michigan and Northwest Ohio, ranking #4 on the Women 2 Watch list in 2022, receiving the Enterprising Woman Award, the MCAA Rising Stars Award, and inclusion in Crain’s 40 Under 40 list of high-achieving community leaders. Back to top

Barbara Yolles-Ludwig
Founder and CEO
LUDWIG+
2022 regional award winner

With a highly decorated marketing career that spans the realm of fast-food giant McDonald’s to major ad agencies McCann North America and Campbell Ewald (serving as Chief Marketing Officer at each), Barbara is best known for architecting brand and business solutions that change the destiny of a company. Before founding LUDWIG+, Barbara built in-house marketing teams and high-performing programs and business strategies for financial giants TMS and United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) — both of whom realized significant multiples in revenue growth. In the agency world, Barbara led the marketing and advertising for major brands, including 21st Century Oncology, PNC Bank, Vanguard Mutual Funds, Johns Hopkins Medicine, TJ Maxx Corporation, Zipcar, World Gold Council and many other nationally recognized companies.   Back to top

Kelly Preston
President & CEO
Capital Steel & Wire
2023 regional award winner and national finalist

Kelly Preston is the owner and president of Capital Steel & Wire, an innovative manufacturer, distributor and supplier of steel bar and wire products, currently employing three shifts of manufacturing staff in multiple facilities in Mason and Dewitt, MI.

In 2001, Kelly Preston and Dustin Preston established Capital Steel & Wire, with Kelly serving as chief financial officer for several years before taking the helm as company president in 2015. Under Kelly’s leadership, Capital Steel & Wire has experienced significant business and financial growth.

For the past three years, the company has received national certification as a Women Owned Business by the WBENC and WOSB and is a member of the Association of Women in the Metal Industries. This past year marked a pivotal year for Kelly as she was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year 2023 National finalist by Ernst & Young from a pool of 224 regional award winners from 197 companies. This prestigious, national award recognizes entrepreneurs who develop products and solutions that revolutionize industries and transform lives.

Kelly is also a member of the Executive Board for the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce and a past recipient of the Executive of the Year award from the Capital Area Manufacturing Council, where she previously served as vice president and treasurer.

Service and community hold a place close to Kelly’s heart. She is a member of several nonprofit organizations and other business groups, including the board of directors for Sparrow Health System. She is also a member of the Governing Board for Ele’s Place, a healing center for grieving children and teens. Kelly is a co-founder of the Lansing W/E group for women entrepreneurs and member of the Lansing CEO Network. She is also active in her local community of DeWitt and prioritizes her company’s annual corporate giving program, which supports several community and school organizations in the communities of Lansing, Mason and DeWitt. Back to top

Damien Rocchi
Founder and CEO
Grand Circus
2018 regional award winner

Damien is CEO and Founder of Grand Circus, a Michigan-based coding bootcamp that has trained more than 3,000 students across the region. Damien is passionate about tech-led economic development and the application of new approaches to education. In 2014, Damien was a recipient of the DBusiness “Champion of the New Economy” award for his contribution to Detroit’s entrepreneurial community. Damien has regularly been featured on Detroit’s Techweek 100 and in 2018 was an EY Entrepreneur Of The Year regional award winner. Much of Damien’s experience involves building and growing new businesses, and he has led several teams within some of Australia’s largest consumer-focused companies. Prior to founding Grand Circus, Damien worked at Fairfax Business Media in Australia, where he managed a group of digital businesses dealing in research and data, professional education and digital news. Previously, Damien worked at McKinsey & Company, where he guided business strategy in organizations across Australasia. Damien holds an MBA from Wharton Business School and an Economics Degree from Monash University in Australia. He is a native Australian who is obsessed with the Australian Football League, his family and calamari fishing.  Back to top

Tom Ross
CEO
Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing
2021 regional award winner

As president and chief executive officer, Tom uses his extensive managerial and technical expertise to create a culture at Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing (GRAM) where employees can maximize their performance. A skilled communicator, Tom helps develop teams to create compliant processes and systems that deliver results to clients. Under his leadership, GRAM has become one of the leading contract development and manufacturing organizations in the pharmaceutical industry. During Tom’s tenure, GRAM has evolved from a very small, unprofitable company to a highly successful organization with over 400 employees and significant revenues and profits. In 2021, GRAM was selected by the US government to help respond to the urgent pandemic need for vaccines, and the company is honored to have produced over 75 million doses of the J&J COVID-19 vaccine in 2021.

During his career, Tom has held senior executive roles at a large, publicly held pharmaceutical company and at leading, smaller entrepreneurial organizations. He spent eight years at Perrigo Company, a multibillion-dollar generic and over-the-counter pharmaceutical company, where he served on the executive committee and led the financial team. Tom left Perrigo to help set up the processes, systems and infrastructure for two smaller, high-growth companies. Tom has been an entrepreneur for over 20 years, starting up several companies, and, prior to joining GRAM, he served as managing director at DWH, LLC, a consulting company focused on helping emerging businesses maximize value. Tom, who joined GRAM in 2013, has been a private investor in several companies, including one of the original investors in GRAM in 2010. Tom received his bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and did his MBA coursework at the University of Miami.  Back to top

Mark White
President & CEO
Shape Corp
2023 regional award winner and national finalist

Mark White, the President and CEO of Shape Corp., is a distinguished leader with a comprehensive understanding of business development and a strong focus on driving international growth.

Mark began his academic journey at Western Michigan University, earning a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration. He then went on to acquire a Master’s in Business Administration from Michigan State University, solidifying his prowess in strategic business planning and execution. His journey with Shape Corp. began as Vice President of NetShape International, and his effective leadership propelled him through a succession of significant roles, including Vice President and Managing Director of European Operations, Executive Vice President, and eventually leading him to his current position as President & CEO.

Beyond his corporate commitments, Mark is an active member of various industry associations and non-profit organizations. He serves on the Nissan Motor Co. Supplier Council, Co-Chair for General Motors, CEO Advisory Boards for MICHauto and Talent2025, and is also a board member of No More Sidelines and the Chamber of Commerce for Grand Haven, Spring Lake & Ferrysburg.

When not in the boardroom or contributing to his community, Mark embraces the outdoors with a passion for hiking, skiing, paddleboarding, golf, and fly fishing. His varied interests underscore his dynamic personality and dedication to both personal growth and the growth of Shape Corp. Back to top