2014 MCE Palmer Gillis Award

Seeking an Entrepreneur for MCE's 2014 Entrepreneur of the Year Award;

Deadline Sept. 30th to Nominate a Business Owner

SALISUBRY -- Nominations are now being accepted for MCE's Entrepreneur of the Year Award which will be presented in November at the third annual Award Banquet.

The one page nomination form easy to fill out. The award will include a trophy, a $2,000.00 cash prize, and public recognition. The deadline for nominations is September 26th. The form can be accessed at http://www.marylandcapital.org then click on the entrepreneur logo.

The goal of the award has been to raise awareness about entrepreneurship and recognize the risk takers. Previous winners include Peter Roskovich, owner of the successful Adam's Ribs restaurants and Black Diamond Catering in Fruitland, Md. , and Ryan Miller, owner of The Deli, Last Call Liquors, and several other successful businesses.

Eligibility Criteria:

 Nominees must be a small business owner or majority partner involved in day-to-day operations of the business

 Business must be located in Wicomico, Worcester, Somerset and Dorchester counties

 The company must employ 100 or fewer employees

 The business must have been established locally for at least two (2) years

 Must be a for-profit business

 Business must be in the good standing with the state of Maryland

The top three nominees will be announced in October and the winner will be crowned at MCE's at the annual Award Banquet on Thursday, November 6, 2014, at Salisbury University.

"There are so many deserving business owners and we encourage them to enter the contest," said MCE's CEO Joe Morse. . "We hope this will inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs to take that next step and start their own business. We are here to help."

To honor those hard-working risk takers who invest time, money and resources into their ideas MCE created the Palmer Gillis Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2012. The award is named after Palmer Gillis, a Salisbury native, who has spent the last 35 years building his construction company into one of the largest general contracting firms on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Along the way, he continues to give back through public service, including as an elected member of the Salisbury City Council, and as a board member for numerous charitable causes and foundations. He has been a leading voice in trying to make his community a better place.

MCE (Maryland Capital Enterprises), a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization located upstairs at the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce Building in Salisbury, has been working to promote entrepreneurship since its inception over a decade ago. Through business counseling, small business loans, classes for business owners and other resources, MCE can help nurture those winning ideas and help turn them into profit.

To nominate an entrepreneur or to learn more about the award, visit www.marylandcapital.org.