In prestigious business competition, Portland entrepreneurs hold off Boston sweep

File photo, at left, Tim Greenway; others courtesy of Rarebreed Only three winners were from outside Boston in the New England finals for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year. From left: Joshua Broder, Dan Espinal and Sean Miller.

Write a Comment

By William Hall

Three Maine winners in a prestigious business competition are demonstrating that new business success in New England isn’t confined to the Boston area.

The annual EY Entrepreneur of the Year face-off, which early on has recognized startup icons including Jeff Bezos and Michael Dell, last week named 15 New England regional winners in its 2021 competition. Only three were from outside Boston or its suburbs: Joshua Broder, CEO of Tilson Technology Management Inc., headquartered in Portland, and the co-founders of Portland-based Rarebreed Veterinary Partners, Dan Espinal and Sean Miller.

Over two dozen finalists were considered in the New England competition. All but the eventual Maine winners lead companies whose primary offices are in the Massachusetts cities of Boston, Cambridge or Waltham or — in one case — the nearby town of Burlington.

Founded by consulting firm Ernst & Young Global 35 years ago, the Entrepreneur of the Year awards have grown to become the world’s largest program recognizing leaders of startups and high-growth companies, according to a news release. The awards now include regional programs in over 60 countries.

The awards recognize leaders who excel in areas such as innovation, building a values-based company, societal impact, financial performance and more. Winners are selected in over a dozen regional competitions, and those honorees go on to the national competition.

Last year’s U.S. Entrepreneur of the Year was also the New England winner, the founding team of Toast Inc., a point-of-service technology vendor based in Boston.

Tilson is an IT network deployment and professional services firm that’s grown from 10 employees, when Broder took the reins as CEO in 2009, to over 500 nationwide today. Rarebreed, which invests in veterinary practices and hospitals to improve their performance, launched in 2018 and today has about 1,100 employees.

“I’m honored to be part of the cohort and for the recognition this brings to our hard-working team,” Broder said in an email to Mainebiz on Monday.

“I’m not surprised by Maine’s strong showing, there are incredible things happening here! I’m so grateful for our team members locally and nationally for their focus on safety and composure during this chaotic time.”

Espinal, CEO of Rarebreed, said in a news release, “We are honored to receive this prestigious award. We dedicate it to all the people who work in veterinary hospitals who continually inspire us."

Rarebreed COO Miller added, "We are forever grateful to our employees and our partners who come to work, day in and day out, with dedication and compassion, to help reimagine the veterinary experience."