For Immediate Release:

Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) recently announced that Ryan Buchanan, CEO of Thesis, was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2021 Pacific Northwest Region Award winner. The award recognizes those who are unstoppable entrepreneurial leaders, excelling in areas of talent management; degree of difficulty; financial performance; societal impact and building a values-based company; and originality, innovation and future plans. Buchanan was selected by an independent panel of judges, and the award was announced during the program’s virtual awards gala on Wednesday, August 4.

This recognition honors Buchanan’s commitment to inclusion, equity, and sustainability in the workforce, also demonstrated by his role as co-founder of nonprofits Emerging Leaders and SINE, and Thesis’s recent achievement in earning B Corp Certification. Buchanan was selected by a panel of independent judges composed of previous award winners.

“The amazing stories and accomplishments of this group of entrepreneurs are incredibly inspiring,” said Buchanan. “It’s an unbelievable honor to be recognized by a program with such a distinguished legacy, and I look forward to being a part of this esteemed and international community.”

For 35 years, EY US has honored entrepreneurs whose ambition, courage, and ingenuity have driven their companies’ success, transformed their industries, and made a positive impact on their communities. Buchanan will go on to become a lifetime member of the esteemed multi-industry community of award winners, with exclusive, ongoing access to the experience, insight, and wisdom of fellow alumni and other ecosystem members in more than 60 countries — all supported by vast EY resources.

As a Pacific Northwest Region award winner, Buchanan is now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2021 National Awards. Award winners in several national categories, including the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced in November at the Strategic Growth Forum®, one of the nation’s most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies.

The Entrepreneur Of The Year program has honored the inspirational leadership of entrepreneurs such as:

• Chad Robins and Harlan Robins, Adaptive Biotechnologies Corporation
• Andreas Bechtolsheim and Jayshree Ullal of Arista Networks
• Joe DeSimone of Carbon, Inc.
• Hamdi Ulukaya of Chobani
• Brian Niccol of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.
• James Park of Fitbit
• Daymond John of FUBU
• Brian Mariotti, Funko
• Kendra Scott of Kendra Scott LLC
• Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn
• Ally and Scott Svenson, MOD Pizza
• Saeju Jeong of Noom
• Madeline Haydon, nutpods
• Howard Schultz of Starbucks Corporation
• Jodi Berg of Vitamix

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored by SAP America and the Kauffman Foundation. In the Pacific Northwest Region, sponsors also include PNC Bank.

About Entrepreneur Of The Year®

Entrepreneur Of The Year® is the world’s most prestigious business awards program for unstoppable entrepreneurs. These visionary leaders deliver innovation, growth, and prosperity that transform our world. The program engages entrepreneurs with insights and experiences that foster growth. It connects them with their peers to strengthen entrepreneurship around the world. Entrepreneur Of The Year is the first and only truly global awards program of its kind. It celebrates entrepreneurs through regional and national awards programs in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries. National Overall winners go on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ title. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.

About EY Private

As Advisors to the ambitious™, EY Private professionals possess the experience and passion to support private businesses and their owners in unlocking the full potential of their ambitions. EY Private teams offer distinct insights born from the long EY history of working with business owners and entrepreneurs. These teams support the full spectrum of private enterprises, including private capital managers and investors and the portfolio businesses they fund, business owners, family businesses, family offices, and entrepreneurs. Visit ey.com/us/private.

About EY

EY exists to build a better working world, helping create long-term value for clients, people, and society and build trust in the capital markets. Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform, and operate. Working across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax, and transactions, EY teams ask better questions to find new answers for the complex issues facing our world today.

EY refers to the global organization and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

About Thesis

Founded in 2002, Thesis, formerly eROI, is an award-winning, full-service digital agency specializing in email marketing, strategy, web design, development, and social media. Thesis offers account planning, performance management, relationship management, and brand, campaign, content, social, and digital-channel strategy to help partners connect with audiences in meaningful ways. Thesis was named among the Portland Business Journal’s Most Admired Companies in 2019 and named one of the 100 Best Companies to Work for in Oregon. For more information, please visit https://thesis.agency.