Ernst & Young today announced that GT Dave, founder and CEO of GT's Living Foods, was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020 Greater Los Angeles Award winner. The Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards program is one of the preeminent competitive awards for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. The award recognizes those entrepreneurial leaders who are excelling in overcoming adversity, financial performance, societal impact and commitment to building a values-based company, innovation and talent management. GT was selected by an independent panel of judges comprised of previous award winners, leading CEOs, investors and other business luminaries. The award was announced during the program's first-ever virtual awards gala, hosted by Deborah Norville, anchor of "Inside Edition," on Oct. 8, 2020.   

GT created the Kombucha category in 1995 as a teenager when he first introduced the traditional Eastern drink to the U.S. marketplace. What started out as a passion project in his home kitchen has become the No. 1 best-selling and most-loved Kombucha brand in the world, leading what is poised to become a multibillion-dollar category by 2025. Today, GT's Living Foods continues to spread a message and philosophy that food is medicine through always raw, unpasteurized and fully fermented offerings.

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"I am incredibly honored to be named and recognized as an Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020 Greater Los Angeles award winner. Collaborating and connecting with this impressive group of entrepreneurs has strengthened my own passions and beliefs as a founder. I remain steadfast in my mission to change the way people think and feel about living and fermented foods," says GT. "This year has challenged all of us like never before and the resilience and entrepreneurial spirit shared among my fellow finalists has truly restored my faith in humanity. When we come together and learn from one another, we can survive and thrive through anything."

Since 1986, EY U.S. has honored entrepreneurs whose ingenuity, spirit of innovation and tenacity have driven their companies' success, transformed their industries and made a positive impact on their communities. GT will go on to become a lifetime member of the esteemed multi-industry community of award winners, with exclusive, ongoing access to the experience, insight and wisdom of fellow alumni and other ecosystem members in over 60 countries—all supported by vast EY resources.

As a Greater Los Angeles award winner, GT is now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020 National Awards. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced Thursday, November 19, during a virtual awards gala. The awards are the culminating event of this year's virtual Strategic Growth Forum, the nation's most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in June 2021.

Source: EY