The Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame has come a long way since its first induction ceremony in 2010. The event originated as a Global Entrepreneurship Week promotion for Awesome Labs in 2009, and consisted of a series of flyers and a small webpage honoring famous entrepreneurs from Kentucky. The idea came from extending excitement about great figures in other halls of fame to the world of entrepreneurship. “We actually assumed that some Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame already existed. We were pretty surprised to find out that it didn’t!” said Nick Such, co-founder of Awesome Inc.

Before long it became apparent that the idea of a Hall of Fame for Entrepreneurs could grow into a formal event. When the first induction was held, Brian Raney, another founder of Awesome Inc, told the Herald-Leader that not only was there not a Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame, “there aren’t many entrepreneurship halls of fame at all.” He said that they went on to create the Hall of Fame with a goal: “Our mission is to raise awareness of the impact that entrepreneurship has made in the Commonwealth and encourage others to pursue similar ambitious endeavors.”

To make the idea a reality, Awesome Inc organizers brainstormed with the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation and the Small Business Development Center for qualifying entrepreneurs. The final list of nine entrepreneurs, some of whom were on the original webpage, included business people such as Pearse Lyons of Alltech, John Schnatter of Papa John’s, and recent University of Kentucky President Lee Todd, who started tech firms DataBeam and Projectron. The ceremony also included the recognition of emerging entrepreneurs because, “All of the people who are being inducted into the Hall of Fame were at the same stage as these up-and-coming ones at one point, so we felt like in an effort to encourage more entrepreneurs at that level, it would be great to recognize these five emerging entrepreneurs,” said Raney. 75 people attended this event, and got to hear some awesome things from these famous entrepreneurs. Nick Such said, “We knew the first induction ceremony was a success when we got to hear the inductees share their stories. First, it was simply incredible to be in one room with Jim Host, Lee Todd, and Davis Marksbury - three of Kentucky’s iconic media and technology entrepreneurs. Then we got to listen Warren Rosenthal tell stories about starting Long John Silvers and having a humble meeting with Colonel Sanders in the early days of KFC, which of course happened before John Y. Brown, also present at the ceremony, grew that company into the global brand it is today.”

The Class of 2011 had 5 members, including Bill Samuels, Jr. of Maker’s Mark and David Jones, Sr. of Humana. For the 2012 Hall of Fame, past inductees voted on the three members for that year, bringing the community of entrepreneurs closer together for the event.

Inductees by Year

2010

John Y Brown

Pearse Lyons

William T. Young

Warren Rosenthal

John Schnatter Jim Host Ralph G. Anderson Davis Marksbury Lee Todd

2011

Dana Bowers David Jones, Sr. Kent Taylor Wendell Cherry Bill Samuels, Jr.

2012

Terry Forcht Bruce Lunsford Ronald Geary

2013

RJ Corman Bill Gatton George Fischer Billy Harper

2014

James Booth Ulysses Lee “Junior” Bridgeman Chris Sullivan John A. Williams, Sr.

The 2013 Hall of Fame ceremony brought big changes. Having outgrown the space at Awesome Inc in Lexington, the venue was changed to the Ice House in Louisville. That year, 130 people attended the ceremony. The Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame had truly blossomed into a primetime event. Last year, George Fischer, Bill Gatton, Billy Harper, and the late R.J. Corman were honored.

All this history leads up to one thing: this year’s event. It’s being held at the Mellwood Arts and Entertainment Center on November 19 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. Over 150 people are expected to attend. This year’s inductees include Chris Sullivan of Outback Steakhouse, Ulysses Lee “Junior” Bridgeman of Bridgeman Foods Inc, James Booth of Booth Energy Group, and John A. Williams, Sr. of Computer Services, Inc. Three emerging entrepreneurs will be recognized as well. It’s going to be an unforgettable celebration of four inspiring Kentucky entrepreneurs, so register now!