Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates ambitious entrepreneurs who are building bolder futures

Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced that John Shen, CEO of American Lending Center (under American Lending Center Holdings), was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year^® 2023 Pacific Southwest Award finalist. Now in its 37th year, Entrepreneur Of The Year is one of the preeminent competitive business awards for transformative entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies who are building a more equitable, sustainable and prosperous world for all.

John was selected by an independent panel of judges. Entrepreneurs were evaluated based on their demonstration of building long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact, among other core contributions and attributes.

“I am honored and humbled to be recognized by Ernst & Young as an Entrepreneur Of The Year^® 2023 Pacific Southwest Award finalist," said John, founder of American Lending Center, private capital firm Sunstone Management, and ghost kitchen operator Partake Collective. “I am deeply thankful for the continued trust and support from my colleagues, clients, and community. This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire team.”

American Lending Center (ALC) was established in 2009 as a mission-based small business lender. ALC stimulates economic development by facilitating job growth and providing capital, including to eligible rural communities, minority, and underserved small business owners. John’s dedication and leadership has made ALC an industry leader.

John will be sharing the details of his entrepreneurial journey in his book “Crossing the Swamp – My Path to Innovating as a Parallel Entrepreneur” coming out in 2023.

Regional award winners will be announced on June 16, 2023, during a special celebration. The winners will then be considered by the National judges for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, which will be presented in November at the annual Strategic Growth Forum^®, one of the nation’s most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year^® Award in June 2024.

The Entrepreneur Of The Year program has recognized more than 11,000 entrepreneurs throughout the U.S. since its inception in 1986, and it has grown to recognize business leaders across 145 cities in over 60 countries around the world.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards include presenting sponsors PNC Bank, N.A.; SAP America; and the Kauffman Foundation. In the Pacific Southwest, sponsors also include platinum sponsors, Cresa and Marsh McLennan Agency; gold sponsors, Big Picture; Cooley (San Diego market), Stradling (Orange County market), and Tangram (Orange County market) and silver sponsor, DLA Piper (Arizona market).

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 Award winners go on to compete for the 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.

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About American Lending Center: A Financial Times (FT) Americas’ Fastest Growing Company

American Lending Center (ALC) is a private nonbank lending institution and nationally recognized leader in small business lending. By the end of 2022, ALC had offered strategically structured senior loan products to 83 qualified projects in 19 states, contributing to a combined construction and business expansion budget of over 1.2 billion dollars. ALC’s lending practice has successfully created more than 13,000 new jobs nationwide since 2009. As one of only a handful of nonbank institutions designated to provide immediate financial relief to struggling small businesses during COVID, ALC provided PPP loans to nearly 30,000 small businesses across all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

Follow American Lending Center on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

About Sunstone Management

Sunstone Management is a diversified private capital sponsor firm located in Southern California that invests in diverse early-stage technology entrepreneurs who seek to build great companies. We believe in the aspirational power of the American economy to attract and inspire investors and entrepreneurs from throughout the world. We deliver new and exciting opportunities for economic growth through the creation of innovative public-private partnerships, and our unique experience across government, education, and private sectors. Identified by Financial Times as one of America’s Fastest Growing Companies three years in a row.

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