| DALLAS – July 10, 2003 - Dwight Hendrickson,
president and chief executive officer of Unirez, was chosen by Ernst &
Young as the Southwest Area 2003 Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year at a
recent black-tie ceremony. The award honors entrepreneurs whose ingenuity,
hard work and perseverance have created and sustained a successful, growing
businesses.
Following a lengthy nomination process and in-depth interview, Hendrickson
was selected for the special “Emerging Entrepreneur” category. The
judges took into account Hendrickson’s business experience, as well as
a complete assessment of his company’s leadership, finances and future
prospects.
“I’m proud that Unirez was showcased by the Entrepreneur of the Year
Institute,” Hendrickson commented following the awards |
Dwight Hendrickson |
gala. “Everyone at the company has invested their passion and expertise
to build the most advanced, intuitive reservations solution in the hotel
marketplace. It feels good to be recognized for that. It is especially
gratifying considering the humble beginning of the company just a little
more than three years ago. Despite the numerous obstacles we faced
in our early days, the team never lost its belief that we would create
a great company.”
Hendrickson will be formally inducted as a Lifetime Member of the Entrepreneur
of the Year Institute in November 2003 in Palm Springs, Calif., and will
contend for the upcoming National Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
 Processing
its first transaction from a plumbing warehouse in 1999, today Unirez maintains
17 offices, including 14 international offices, represents clients in 30
countries and manages reservations and productivity solutions for more
than 3,500 hotels representing more than 500,000 rooms worldwide. With
revenues up nearly 100 percent this year versus last year, and profits
up 345 percent versus last year, Unirez is a financially strong, debt-free
company that has successfully managed explosive three-year growth.
Although there is no absolute source available, Unirez is widely recognized
as the second largest provider of reservations service in the world.
To learn how Unirez makes hotels more productive, contact Dwight Hendrickson
at (817) 416-5800
or visit www.unirez.com. |