05-09-13 | Press Release
Ness was named a semifinalist for Entrepreneur of the Year in the Michigan and Northwest Ohio region. The program recognizes high-growth entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.
In 2003, Ness led a group of investors to acquire the company. Serving as the company’s CEO since the purchase, he has overseen tremendous growth both physically (from 600 to more than 60,000 square feet of capacity) and financially (an average of 30-percent annual growth).
That steady growth received a significant boost in September 2012 when News-Press & Gazette Company invested $20 million to help Online Tech expand into new markets across the Midwest.
Online Tech is a five-time winner of the FastTrack Award presented by Ann Arbor SPARK, a Washtenaw County economic development agency, to companies demonstrating a 20 percent growth rate for three successive years. The company was also named one of the state’s top technology companies by Corp! magazine for the third time in four years at its DiSciTech Awards ceremony last month.
Prior to Online Tech, Ness co-founded Company Crafters and Work Well Health and Safety Systems, which was acquired by Liberty Mutual. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from the University of Michigan and is a guest lecturer at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.
Ness will attend a semifinalist reception in Detroit on May 16. Regional winners, scheduled to be announced May 24, will be honored at an awards gala in Detroit on June 20 and become eligible for the annual Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year national awards, presented in November.
Semifinalists were selected from more than 70 nominations by a panel of independent judges.
Now in its 27th year, the Entrepreneur of the Year program has expanded globally to recognize company builders in over 140 cities and in more than 50 countries throughout the world.
Online Tech, Michigan’s largest managed data center is becoming the largest in the Midwest, expanding into at least four new markets. The “Fort Knox’’ for data is known for complete redundancy – “backups for everything” – from multiple back-up generators and backup systems to locations straddling two power grids and even two CEOs.
Online Tech leads in secure, compliant hosting services including cloud hosting, managed dedicated servers, Michigan colocation and disaster recovery. Online Tech’s Midwest data centers assure mission critical applications are always available, comply with government & industry regulations, and continue operating after a disaster. Backed by independent HIPAA, PCI, SSAE 16, and SOC 2, Online Tech delivers the security, privacy, and availability expected from world class data center operators. For more information, call (877)740-5028, email [email protected] or visit www.onlinetech.com.
Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year is the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The unique award recognizes the significant contributions of entrepreneurs who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement.
Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 167,000 people are united by our shared values and an unwavering commitment to quality. We make a difference by helping our people, our clients and our wider communities achieve their potential. For more information, visit ey.com
Press Contact: April Sage, Director or Marketing, Healthcare Vertical, Online Tech, 734.213.2020 x 113 or [email protected]
