Nearly 750 people attended the 13th annual Spirit of the Entrepreneurship Awards held recently at the Riverside Convention Center.

The ceremony recognized a number of the Inland Empire’s top business leaders and entrepreneurs for their innovation and determination.

“Our event’s goal is to raise the awareness of entrepreneurship in the Inland Empire and to celebrate and honor those top entrepreneurs of the region. It never ceases to amaze me at the number of outstanding entrepreneurs and their success stories in our local communities,” said Mike Stull, a CSUSB professor of entrepreneurship, founder of the Spirit of the Entrepreneur Awards and director of the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship, which is housed in the College of Business and Public Administration.

“This year’s winners stood out among the group of advanced companies that represent the type of innovation and risk taking that this event celebrates,” Stull said.

This year’s black-tie gala, held at the Riverside Convention Center on Nov. 10, had winners in nine categories. The winners are:

  • Best of the Best: Kathy Griset, Cibaria International Inc., Riverside;
  • General Entrepreneur award: Angela Weymar and Antonio Di Guglielmo, ICON Vehicle Dynamics LLC, Riverside;
  • Service-Based Entrepreneur award: Cory Chalmers, Crime Scene Steri-Clean LLC, Rancho Cucamonga;
  • 2015 Garner Holt Fast Pitch award: Matt Acuna for Hauler, Hanah Khaled for Infusion, and Mike Savicky for Leak Solution!;
  • Manufacturing Entrepreneur: Dave Grimes, Edge Plastics Inc., Riverside;
  • Family Business​ award: Mark Peabody and Larry Peabody, Peabody Engineering & Supply Inc.; Corona;
  • Social Entrepreneur award: Karen DiCarlo, Santa Claus Inc. of Greater San Bernardino;
  • Corporate Entrepreneur category tie: Kathy Griset, Cibaria International; and David Hsu and Ching Liu, SolarMax Technology, Riverside;
  • Consulting Entrepreneur award: Patti Drinville, The PLD Group Inc., Thousand Palms;
  • Innovator/Technology Entrepreneur award: Nick Niakan, Advanced Flow Engineering, Corona;

The finalists and award recipients were selected by an independent panel of judges consisting of past Spirit Award recipients. The 28 finalists represent the culmination of a nomination and evaluation process that included more than 130 nominees.

Visit the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship website for more information on its programs.