There’s a bit of a celebration happening at Chamilia.
Chief designer Killian Rieder, board chair, Jeff Julkowski, and executive vice-president and chief business development officer, Michael Flaherty, have picked up the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2011 Upper Midwest Award.
“Receiving the award in the ‘Emerging’ category of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year competition is an exciting win for Chamilia and our entire team,” Rieder said. “This award reminds us of our humble beginnings and the unprecedented growth of Chamilia as we continue to expand globally. Without the hard work and significant contributions of each of our employees, we would not have even had this opportunity. It is truly an honour.”
Rieder founded the Minneapolis-based bead company with her husband, Julkowski, in 2002, following a career in New York City’s fashion industry. Four years later, Flaherty joined the team and the trio built a dealer base that now includes more than 4000 points of distribution around the world.
The awards recognize outstanding entrepreneurs demonstrating excellence and extraordinary success in areas such as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.
Chamilia’s founders were selected as finalists from nearly 40 nominations by an independent judging panel made up of the award’s previous winners.
