Aug. 9 2021

SAB Biotherapeutics co-founder and CEO Eddie Sullivan is among 11 winners of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Heartland Award.

The heartland program celebrates entrepreneurs from South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri. This group of entrepreneurial leaders was selected by an independent judging panel made up of previous award winners, leading CEOs, investors and other regional business leaders, Ernst & Young said.

“EY is proud to celebrate these unstoppable entrepreneurs and welcome them into our global Entrepreneur of the Year alumni community,” said Dominic Iannazzo, program co-director. “Despite the unprecedented challenges of the past year, these heroic leaders have inspired us all with their unrivaled courage, ambition and unwavering commitment to their companies, clients and communities.”

Nominees were evaluated based on six criteria: entrepreneurial leadership; talent management; degree of difficulty; financial performance; societal impact; and building a values-based company; and originality, innovation and future plans. Since its launch, the program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries.

Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur of the Year national awards, which will be announced in November. The overall national winner will move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year Award in June 2022.