Young & Entrepreneur Of The Year[R]: continuing Utah's legacy of success.

• Author: Little, Candace M.
• Position: Company overview

For 25 years, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year[R] Program has celebrated the innovators whose ambition, hard work and determination have enhanced the lives of people throughout the world. This year's lineup of entrepreneurs is another awe-inspiring group that is changing and bettering Utah's business landscape. Join us as we applaud these entrepreneurs who are continuing the state's legacy of success.

BUSINESS SERVICES

KAREN GEORGE

President--Wasatch Clinical Research

When Karen George hit one of the lowest points of her life, she became determined to turn her situation around--and she never looked back. Her path to launching Wasatch Clinical Research began when she was a single parent caring for five young children. Despite numerous obstacles, George went to college and graduated as a registered nurse.

Her ambition didn't stop there. As she worked to continue improving her situation, George asked herself, "What talents and abilities do I have to meet this new challenge and financial demand in my life?" In 1999, she launched Wasatch Clinical Research, a company that conducts clinical research trials that assist biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in creating products. "I am living my dream," she says. "It is rewarding to look back and see the rewards of labor."

Wasatch Clinical Research now contracts with more than 60 local physicians and has increased its revenue by more than 90 percent during each of the past 12 years.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

AWARD WINNER

WILLIAM HABERSTOCK

CEO--Keystone Aviation, dba Million Air - Salt Lake City

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

"You become an entrepreneur over time--and with a certain amount of luck," says Bill Haberstock, who began his career fueling aircraft on the graveyard shift, then became a corporate pilot, reaching more than 17,000 flight hours and running various flight departments. His background gave him the perspective and knowledge needed to create a full-service aviation company that would drive the growth of aviation in Utah.

Since his partnership purchased Million Air in 1995, Haberstock has helped grow it from 13,000 square feet of hangar space and 33 employees to 275,000 square feet of hangar space and 260 employees. The company has also been selected to be one of Five U.S. distributors for the new Hondajet.

"The best part about being an entrepreneur is creating jobs and watching people grow in those jobs," says Haberstock. "My greatest accomplishment is the development of our team of managers. Helping people build their careers will always be one of my top priorities."

LARRY STEVENS, President and CEO

BRENT ALLEN, Executive Vice President of Sales and Leasing--Med One Capital

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

In the late 1980s, Larry Stevens and Brent Allen worked in the leasing department of a company that focused on renting medical equipment. When the company was sold, the pair used their experience in the industry to launch a new leasing company, Med One Capital.

"The early days were difficult," says Allen. "The first couple of years at Med One, quite honestly, I wondered what we'd been doing, or why we did this ... but we weathered it."

Access to capital was an early challenge for the company, which needed to invest in expensive medical equipment. "Its taken 20 years to establish the kind of customer base that we have. This year we think we'll do top-line revenue of somewhere around $100 million," says Stevens.

The company has also branched out, adding rental and used equipment sales divisions, all in an effort co "make medical equipment available to hospitals in any way they want to acquire it," says Stevens.

CONSUMER SERVICES

PHILLIP HANSEN

CEO--CLEARLINK

Phil Hansen says CLEARLINK has grown organically not from a business plan he wrote out years ago. He didn't set out to be the nations frontrunner in technology-driven customer acquisition or a performance-based marketing company. In CLEARLINK's innovative model, inscead of charging per hour for building a website, the company charges per new customer attributed to the website built. It turns out this is a payment model that many companies, including small, medium and larger organizations like DirecTV and ADT Home Security, are drawn to.

Over the last five years, the company has grown from 20 employees to more than 400 and serves more than 15 of the nations most well-recognized brands. But Hansen says that the company has actually failed much more than it has succeeded, and it's taught him to not fear failure. "I've learned to look at both the winning and the losing as learning," he says.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

DAVID JENKINS

President and CEO--Conservice

AWARD WINNER

Like many entrepreneurs, David Jenkins realized an existing problem and discovered a solution. After working for years as vice president of HR, IT and liability at a large regional property management company, Jenkins became frustrated with the lack of support found in the utilities management sector. With two employees, one customer and an initial investment of only $60,000, Jenkins launched Conservice--a company that provides a suite of utility management and billing solutions for the property management industry.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Since its 2000 founding, Conservice has grown to nearly 300 employees and operates regional offices in eight states across the country. Jenkins credits the company's growth to a customer-first focus combined with innovative processes. He says what he enjoys about being an entrepreneur is the ability to impact the lives of those around him. "What I like most about being an entrepreneur is that 1 can create a work environment that is very positive for those who are here and that I can make sure that the needs of the customer are being met," he says. "I enjoy what we can give back to the community and making sure that we are an important part of the lives of the people around us."

KELLY WALKER

CEO--pinnacle security

When Kelly Walker was working his way through college, he yearned to find a job that would pay the bills and allow him to focus on school. He found a summer sales opportunity selling alarm systems. During that first summer, Walker became one of the company's top producers. The next summer, Walker and three friends began working with ADT...