Ernst & Young announces Charlie Kratsch is the Entrepreneur of the Year 2012
June 25, 2012 – Blaine, Minn. – Ernst & Young LLP has announced that Charlie Kratsch, Founder and CEO of Infinite Campus, Inc., the largest American-owned student information system for K12 education, received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® 2012 Award in the education category in the Upper Midwest.
The award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Kratsch was selected by an independent panel of judges, and the award was presented at a special gala on June 14, 2012, at the Marriott City Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
It is an honor to have received this prestigious award which reflects the great work all of us at Infinite Campus have been doing, said Kratsch. While most entrepreneurs are lucky just to make money, I have the privilege to make a difference in the lives of millions of students all across the country.”
Infinite Campus was founded in 1993 while Kratsch was the technology director at Centennial School District in Circle Pines, Minn. Today, the company has more than 300 employees at its National Headquarters located in Blaine, Minn., with additional services and support managed by regional partnerships across the country. Kratsch has been the only CEO since the company’s beginning and he continues to provide innovative leadership, driven by a vision to use information technology beyond simple data collection for K12 education. Infinite Campus is continuously improving its products to provide tools that will directly result in collaborative communication, improved instruction and personalized learning.
Now in its 26th year, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year program has honored the inspirational leadership of entrepreneurs such as Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com, Michael Dell of Dell Inc., Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines, Fred Smith of FedEx, Larry Page and Sergey Brin of Google, Richard Schulze of Best Buy, Andrew Mason of Groupon, Mindy Grossman of HSN, Inc., Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn, and many more.
As an Upper Midwest Award winner, Kratsch is now eligible for consideration for the National Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 Award. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the National Entrepreneur of the Year Overall Award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California, on Nov. 17, 2012. The awards are the culminating event of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum®, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.
About Infinite Campus
For more than 15 years Infinite Campus has successfully implemented its solutions for customers of all sizes. Infinite Campus applications manage more than 5 million students in 43 states. Infinite Campus customers range from those with fewer than 100 students to more than 600,000, including school districts, regional consortia, state departments of education and the federal government.
About Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year is the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The unique award makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential, and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Entrepreneur of the Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 140 cities in more than 50 countries.
About Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 152,000 people are united by our shared values and an unwavering commitment to quality. We make a difference by helping our people, our clients and our wider communities achieve their potential.
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