RELEASE DATE: June 24, 2005
MONDOVI, Wis. -- Randy Marten, president and chairman of Marten Transport, Ltd. (Nasdaq:MRTN), has been honored as a 2005 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the Wisconsin region. Marten Transport was one of seven Wisconsin companies whose leaders were recognized in the annual awards program this month for demonstrating the "passion and perseverance to turn a bright idea into a brilliant business."
Randy Marten, who won in the Transportation category, heads a company that has grown into one of the North America's leading temperature-sensitive truckload carriers, sustaining an unbroken record of revenue growth and winning national honors for its safety record.
"I think everyone at Marten Transport is proud of what the company has accomplished," said Bob Smith, Marten's chief operating officer. "We're extremely excited that Randy has been honored with this award. I think his selection says a great deal not only about his outstanding leadership, but about the people at Marten and the pride they take in their jobs and this company."
Nominees for the award must be a company owner or manager, who is primarily responsible for the recent success or performance of the business. Award recipients are selected in a variety of industry-based categories in 31 regions by independent panels of judges. Winners are honored at regional award banquets during the month of June and inducted into the elite Entrepreneur of the Year@ Hall of Fame at the Entrepreneur of the Year Awards held each November in Palm Sprints, Calif.
This year's Wisconsin region banquet was held at Midwest Airlines Center in Milwaukee. ! The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Program was created nearly two decades ago and is produced by professional services from Ernst & Young LLP. As the first award of its kind, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year program honors entrepreneurs through regional, national and global award programs in over 100 cities and 35 countries.