The community’s best and brightest in the business world were honored at last night’s first annual Business Leaders of the Year awards event at the University of Washington Tacoma.
Bruce Greene, general manager of Advanced Tel-Com Group, was chosen from among eight nominees as the single Business Leader of the Year award winner.
He led his company’s $20 million expansion into Washington, achieving a 13 percent market share in less than two years, and becoming profitable in 24 months.
Advanced Tel-Com Group is a supporter of many community events and nonprofit service activities.
The other seven Business Leaders of the Year include:
n Juli Wilkerson, director of Tacoma’s Economic Development Department;
n Dave Senner, owner of Abolins, Inc.;
n Clare Petrich, owner of Petrich Marine Dock LLC;
n Mark Rake-Marona of Franciscan Health System;
n Joe Guizzetti of Buffelen Woodworking;
n Chuck Miller, CEO/president of Bratrud Middleton Insurance Brokers Inc. and;
n Rick Allen, president of United Way of Pierce County.
Also honored at last night’s inaugural awards event were George Russell Jr. and Janine Terrano.
Russell, the man behind the Frank Russell Co., one of the world’s leading investment and advisory firms, was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Rising Star Award went to Terrano, founder and president of Business Internet Services, a Tacoma Internet Web development and marketing company.
Terrano is also the founder and CEO of Topia Ventures, an operating system based on mobile-agent architecture with offices in Tacoma and Seattle.
The program was presented through a collaboration of the UW Tacoma Business Administration Advisory Board and the Business Examiner Newspaper Group.
The event was sponsored by Heritage Bank.