Oskar Blues Brewery fans were able to raise their cans to the company's founder, Dale Katechis, after he was recognized in the annual Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.
Katechis was selected by a panel of independent judges as the winner in the Consumer Products & Services category in the Mountain Desert Region, putting him in the running for the national awards in November. The judging panel included former winners, leading CEOs, private capital investors and other regional business leaders.
The award recognizes entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. It was presented to Katechis Thursday night at the Seawell Ballroom in the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.
Oskar Blues, founded in 1999, is a micro brewery in Lyons, known for its signature canned craft beers. The iconic Dale’s Pale Ale (named after Katechis himself) has been dubbed the Top American Pale Ale by the New York Times and one of the World’s Best Canned Beers from Details magazine.
Other winners of the international Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Program, now in its 26th year, include Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com, Michael Dell of Dell Inc., Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines and many more prestigious business names.
