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Meet the 2023 New Jersey honorees

Congratulations to our region’s Entrepreneur Of The Year® winners, who were selected by an independent panel of judges based on their demonstration of long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact, among other core contributions and attributes. Finalists were recognized and winners were announced during the regional celebration.

Regional winners went on to compete for National recognition. National finalists and winners were announced during the National awards gala. 

2023 New Jersey Winners

kimberlee-vaccarella
Kimberlee Vaccarella
CEO/Founder
Bogg Bag
 

  • About the company >#Hide >

    BOGG BAG develops, manufactures, and distributes high-quality beach bags using patented technology to provide consumers with durable and efficient products. In addition to their high-quality beach bags, their product line includes cooler liners, makeup bags, wine totes, tassels, decorative inserts, BOGG Bits for their BOGG BAGs, cup holders and can holders.

    BOGG BAG has grown organically since its founding in 2008. Not only has BOGG BAG been a success with beach goers, but also medical staff and teachers who were looking for a bag that was easy to clean and disinfect. 

steve-kohn
Steve Kohn
CEO
Broadway Industries 
 

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    Broadway Industries manufactures eco-friendly, innovative products in two broad categories - packing supplies and paper and plastic bags. Their best-selling packing supplies include stretch wrap featuring a patented tension control handle, packing paper, and patented mattress bags. They design branded and private label packing solutions to help move, organize, store, and protect a customer’s possessions. Packing supplies can also be found within the moving & storage and home improvement industries.

    A best-seller in bags includes pinch bottom paper bags, flat bottom paper bags, carry out paper bags with handles, and plastic t-sacks. Broadway Industries designs and sells custom paper bags to pharmacies, supermarkets, the food service industry, delis, and quick-service restaurants.

Apurva-Saraf
Apurva Saraf
President and CEO
Cosette Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
 

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    Cosette Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a US-based, fully integrated pharmaceutical company with capabilities in product development, manufacturing, and commercial operations. Cosette has a fast-growing portfolio of branded pharmaceuticals consisting of products in the cardiology, women’s health, and migraine markets.

    Cosette has a long history in quality manufacturing of complex dosage forms including topical creams, ointments, oral liquids/solutions, and suppositories, which has led to consistent supply to customers and commercialization success. Cosette has corporate and manufacturing facilities in New Jersey and North Carolina and is supported by more than 350+ dedicated employees across all functional areas.

     

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Dave Saoud
Co-Founder/CEO
Freezpak Logistics
2023 National finalist

  • About the company >#Hide >

    Freezpak Logistics offers frozen, cooler, and dry storage combined with industry-leading third-party logistics services to ensure the availability of the nation’s food supply. Their highly personal and professional approach is attributed to offering their customers an end-to-end solution spanning every major port-centric market in the country, regardless of the individual complexities of a situation. Their 67,985,000 cubic feet of cold storage, now approaching the sixth-largest capacity in the nation, spans the eastern half of the country. Available services include, but are not limited to, technical challenges such as crossdocking to compliance considerations such as accessing USDA, FDA, and FSIS inspection sites.

    Established as a family business by two young brothers first inspired by their father, the business continues to emphasize personal relationships not only with customers but with their diverse workforce. 

Mike-Saoud
Mike Saoud
Co-Founder/CEO
Freezpak Logistics
2023 National finalist

  • About the company >#Hide >

    Freezpak Logistics offers frozen, cooler, and dry storage combined with industry-leading third-party logistics services to ensure the availability of the nation’s food supply. Their highly personal and professional approach is attributed to offering their customers an end-to-end solution spanning every major port-centric market in the country, regardless of the individual complexities of a situation. Their 67,985,000 cubic feet of cold storage, now approaching the sixth-largest capacity in the nation, spans the eastern half of the country. Available services include, but are not limited to, technical challenges such as crossdocking to compliance considerations such as accessing USDA, FDA, and FSIS inspection sites.

    Established as a family business by two young brothers first inspired by their father, the business continues to emphasize personal relationships not only with customers but with their diverse workforce. 

Neha-Shah
Neha Shah
President & Co-Founder
GEP
 

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    GEP® delivers transformative supply chain solutions that help global enterprises become more agile and resilient, operate more efficiently and effectively, gain competitive advantage, boost profitability, and increase shareholder value.

    Fresh thinking, innovative products, unrivaled domain expertise, smart, passionate people — together GEP SOFTWARE™, GEP STRATEGY™ and GEP MANAGED SERVICES™ deliver supply chain solutions of unprecedented scale, power, and effectiveness.

Hannah-Testani
Hannah Testani
CEO
Intelligent Audit
 

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    Intelligent Audit, founded in 1996, is the global leader in multi-modal transportation invoice audit & business intelligence analytics. Our mission is to empower our customers - the biggest shippers in the world to ship smarter, which we define as shipping to their customers faster, cheaper and with less delivery exceptions. Volatility & complexity will continue to plague the supply chain for the near future, we aim to empower our customers with cleansed, normalized data so they can make data backed decisions to run efficient supply chains.

    Intelligent Audit pairs actionable intelligence and highly knowledgeable client success managers to discover those cost-reduction strategies for customers and help them achieve their goal. As a result, decisions can be quantified before they are made, taking the guesswork out of the equation.

Christine-Miller
Christine Miller
President & Chief Executive Officer
Melinta Therapeutics

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    Melinta Therapeutics provides innovative therapies to people impacted by acute and life-threatening illnesses. Melinta’s portfolio currently includes six commercial-stage products: Baxdela® (delafloxacin), Kimyrsa® (oritavancin), Minocin® (minocycline) for Injection, Orbactiv® (oritavancin), TOPROL-XL® (metoprolol succinate) and Vabomere® (meropenem and vaborbactam). Melinta also has a licensing agreement in place with Cidara Therapeutics securing the rights to market and distribute the development candidate, rezafungin in the United States.

    With an unsurpassed commitment to providers and the patients they serve, Melinta works to ensure that all people who need therapies can receive them. They focus their expanding portfolio on serving patients with unmet needs to make the most meaningful impact. Melinta- visionaries dedicated to innovation while staying grounded in what matters most: patients. 

Mickey-Bresman
Mickey (Michael) Bresman
CEO
Semperis

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    Semperis was built for security teams charged with defending hybrid and multi-cloud environments by ensuring the integrity and availability of critical enterprise directory services at every step in the cyber kill chain and cuts recovery time by 90%. Purpose-built for securing hybrid Active Directory environments, Semperis’ patented technology protects over fifty million identities from cyberattacks, data breaches, and operational errors. The world’s leading organizations trust Semperis’ technology and services to spot directory vulnerabilities, intercept cyberattacks in progress, and quickly recover from ransomware and other data integrity emergencies. 

giuseppe-incitti
Giuseppe Incitti
CEO
Sitetracker

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    Sitetracker powers the rapid deployment of tomorrow's infrastructure. It is a revolutionary cloud-based software application that expertly harnesses the capabilities of engineering and technology to accelerate connectivity amongst its users, efficiency in the development and maintenance of physical assets, and the deployment of sustainability domestically and globally. By melding the ideologies of systematic project management with the rapid elasticity, scalability, and accessibility of cloud-based computing, the Sitetracker platform equips innovative companies with the tools to optimize the physical asset lifecycle. The company’s robust business operations and pioneering deployment operations management has allowed it to become the global standard for managing high-volume, repeatable assets of the leading telecommunications, utility, and energy companies.

Srini-Penumella
Srini Penumella
CEO
Spruce Technology 

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    Spruce Technology, established in 2006, is a systems integrator and a leading provider of Information Technology consulting for multiple industries in the public, private, and federal sectors. Spruce’s mission is to provide exceptional technology solutions and services, always keeping to a core value of integrity as they inspire and empower their creative and talented employees, do what is best for their clients in every engagement, and share success by giving back to communities. Spruce Technology manages a global talent network, providing world-class technology services, solutions, and staff to further the mission and vision of its valued clients. 

2023 New Jersey Finalists

  • Robert H. Schwartz | Anterix

    Robert is the President & CEO of Anterix
    Anterix, the largest holder of licensed spectrum in the 900 MHz band in the U.S., is focused on delivering transformative private broadband for utilities and other critical infrastructure to support a cleaner, more resilient, and secure grid. Electric utilities strive to deliver electricity in a consistent manner, but wildfires, cyber security incursions, storms, decarbonization requirements, and electric vehicles are challenging the grid. Anterix offers a broadband solution to this acute, critical need.

  • A. Hadi Chaudhry | CareCloud

    A. Hadi is the President and CEO of CareCloud

    CareCloud, Inc. is a leading healthcare technology company with a comprehensive suite of proprietary, cloud-based solutions for growing healthcare organizations. Specializing in solutions to support healthcare/practice clinical, administrative, and financial activities throughout the revenue lifecycle, CareCloud is on the leading edge of technology in the healthcare industry.

  • Marjorie Romano and Kevin Nini | Cares Surgicenter, LLC

    Marjorie and Kevin are the Executive Director and Chairman of Cares Surgicenter, LLC

    CARES Surgicenter, LLC is a Multispecialty Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) licensed by New Jersey Department of Health and CMS. The CARES mission is to provide high quality adult and pediatric out-patient surgery services. The ASC business model was created to achieve two primary goals: to provide lower cost surgical services and to free up hospital resources. 

  • Dale Foster | Climb Global Solutions, Inc.

    Dale is the CEO of Climb Global Solutions, Inc.

    Climb Global Solutions bridges the gap between emerging technology manufacturers and the end user that are left unserved by broad distributors. Their specialized focus and size uniquely position them to find disruptive technology vendors and form early partnerships, enabling strong organic growth for years ahead.

  • Shailja Dixit | Curio Digital Therapeutics, Inc.

    Shailja is the President and CEO of Curio Digital Therapeutics, Inc.
    Curio Digital Therapeutics, Inc. connects the dots between mental and physical well-being with comprehensive solutions in women’s health. The programs are based on evidence and clinically validated trials to carefully manage behavioral and physiological conditions. Curio™ facilitates digital wellness through self-guided programs, health coaches, connectivity with providers and timely behavioral health support, intelligently and empathetically, for each user to the care they need at the right time. 

  • Andrew Campbell | Eastern Millwork

    Andrew is the President of Eastern Millwork
    Eastern Millwork was started in 1992 as a supplier of custom architectural woodwork for commercial construction projects. The company quickly developed the reputation of reliable execution and unconventional problem solving. CEO Andrew Campbell along with his just under one hundred employees carry out the strategy of constant innovation, reinvestment, and improvement.

  • Simin Cai | Go!Foton

    Simin is the President and CEO of Go!Foton
    Go!Foton is a privately owned technology company that supports the fiber optic communications, medical imaging, and document reproduction industries through their innovative optics and photonics product and service offerings that include a wide array of optical materials, optical components, and fiber connectivity solutions. With more than 2,000 employees worldwide, Go!Foton has a global presence with manufacturing and R&D centers in the U.S., Japan, China, and the Philippines.

  • Deb Muller | HR Acuity

    Deb is the Founder and CEO of HR Acuity

    HR Acuity is the only technology platform specifically built for employee relations and investigations management. Their SaaS technology empowers its users with built-in intelligence, best practices, and reporting so companies can conduct fair investigations according to best practices; uncover trends and patterns through forward-looking data and analytics; and provide trusted, consistent experiences for their people. 

  • Ricky Choi | Outerspace

    Ricky is the CEO of Outerspace

    Outerspace is a one stop shop for all operations and third-party warehousing needs. It covers all the basics of the logistics chain including warehousing, order management, shipping, and delivery. It also includes other unique benefits, which leaves brands competing to give the warehouse their business.

  • Deepali Khadakban | Precision Technologies Corp.

    Deepali is the Founder and CEO of Precision Technologies Corp.

    Precision Technologies is one of the fastest growing IT services companies in the Nation. They specialize in IT staffing and have branched into a full IT service company. They now focus on agile transformation, PMO suite, automation, application development business intelligence and development, and salesforce.

  • Dan Herbatschek | Ramsey Theory Group, LLC

    Dan is the President of Ramsey Theory Group, LLC
    Ramsey Theory Group, LLC began by creating custom enterprise software for companies across various industries. Today, they have four main software products (catered towards automotive, construction, healthcare, and furniture industries), as well as a consulting division. Their products offer a complete suite of ERP, CRM, Fleet Management, Dispatch, Financial Analytics, etc., and operate through a subscription service.

  • Eric Murphy | Scream Truck

    Eric is the Founder and CEO of Scream Truck
    Scream Truck is an on-demand ice cream delivery truck. Utilizing specialized software, the business offers a variety of ice creams for private and public events, in addition to its regularly scheduled routes. Scream Truck delivers tasty, contact-free soft-serve ice cream to your driveway or doorstep. 

  • Kavita Gorty | SysMind, LLC

    Kavita is the President of SysMind, LLC
    SysMind LLC, a certified Women’s Business Enterprise founded in 1999, is a leading recruitment and staffing company, specializing in banking and financial services and technology, focused on helping businesses fulfill their human capital needs both locally and internationally. SysMind continues to differentiate itself from competitors through its commitment to ensuring quality and highly skilled talent aligned with the core values of its clients. 

  • Faris Ghawi | Vytalize Health

    Faris is the Co-Founder and CEO of Vytalize Health
    Vytalize Health is a risk-bearing provider-enablement platform addressing the healthcare industry's biggest challenges with its innovative value-based care delivery system. Vytalize partners with 2,500+ leading providers to improve the quality of care through evidence-based medicine and a patient experience rooted in kindness. By delivering the right data at the right time in the workflow to physicians and their staff, Vytalize makes its partners more efficient and effective, allowing them to focus on proactive, personalized medicine to improve the value of care and lower costs.

  • Dreena Whitfield-Brown | WhitPR

    Dreena is the Founder and CEO of WhitPR
    WHIT PR is a boutique strategic communications firm providing public relations services to a variety of social, political, and small business clients. WHIT PR is primarily based out of the tristate area serving clients across New Jersey, New York City, and Philadelphia as well as having clients in Los Angeles and Atlanta. WhitPR is an agency committed to shaping and amplifying the narratives that drive measurable brand success.