Merry Korn named to Ernst & Young’s Inaugural U.S. Class of Accelerating Entrepreneurs, will attend the 2015 EY Strategic Growth Forum
Accelerating Entrepreneurs is part of EY’s (Ernst & Young Global Limited) commitment to helping high-potential entrepreneurs around the world scale up their business through one-to-one guidance, networking and insight sharing. Merry Korn, CEO of Pearl Interactive Network, Inc. (Pearl), was recently named as one of six Accelerating Entrepreneurs in North America. She will attend an invitation-only EY Strategic Growth Forum November 11 – 15 in Palm Springs, CA, where she will meet with a special team of entrepreneurial coaches.
“I am extremely honored to be a part of the prestigious Accelerating Entrepreneurs program,” Korn said. “More important than the recognition, however, is the unique opportunity to meet with an elite group of entrepreneurs whose fresh insights and relevant new approaches will help fuel Pearl’s continued growth. We are proud of the work we do to provide meaningful employment for disabled veterans and their families. The guidance offered at the EY Forum will be a tremendous asset as we move forward.”
Korn founded Pearl in 2004 as an enterprise that blends a for-profit business with a social mission to provide work opportunities for challenged populations. Through her leadership, the company has grown to more than 450 employees in 26 states, and is among the world’s largest woman-owned federal government contractors.
Although Korn’s inclusion as an Accelerating Entrepreneurs finalist was based largely on her skills as a savvy businesswoman, it was influenced by the launch of a new Insurance Apprenticeship Program at Pearl. The program is an innovative work/education model that offers a way for veterans, disabled veterans, military spouses, and people with disabilities interested in client-site or home-based insurance careers to receive on-the-job training while taking online courses toward an insurance certification.
“EY’s commitment to entrepreneurs in both emerging and developed economies around the world drives growth and empowers innovation,” Korn noted. “The collective intelligence offered by the entrepreneurs associated with the Accelerating Entrepreneurs program will be invaluable. I am very much looking forward to attending the Forum.”
Visit this link to view EY’s release with the rest of the participants in the Accelerating Entrepreneurs program.