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TOLEDO, Ohio, July 11, 2024 – SSOE Group (www.ssoe.com), an internationally ranked architecture and engineering firm, recently announced that Vince DiPofi, PE, CEO of SSOE, was named an EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2024 Michigan and Northwest Ohio Award winner. Now in its 38th year, Entrepreneur Of The Year is the preeminent competitive awards program for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. Over the past four decades, the program has celebrated original founders who bootstrapped their business from inception or who raised outside capital to grow their company; transformational CEOs who infused innovation into an existing organization to catapult its trajectory; and multi-generational family business leaders who reimagined a legacy business model to fortify it for the future.
In May, DiPofi was announced as one of 34 regional entrepreneurs from 30 companies selected as finalists by an independent judging panel made up of previous award winners, leading CEOs, and other business leaders. Candidates were evaluated based on their ability to create long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, commitment to their purpose, and the demonstration of growth and substantial impact, among other key indicators.
DiPofi commented on this award, stating, “It’s an honor to be named an Entrepreneur Of The Year winner but this award is not mine alone; it is a testament to the unwavering dedication and hard work of every single employee at SSOE. Together, we have propelled our company to remarkable heights—further growing our well-established presence in the semiconductor market, securing new clients, and expanding our services with existing partners. We’ve also ventured into exciting new territories, establishing a complex projects group to support the burgeoning electric vehicle and battery manufacturing market. But our growth transcends the semiconductor and electric vehicle markets; we’ve seen substantial expansion across all the various sectors we serve. This award is a milestone, not a finish line, and it fuels our commitment to continuous innovation and excellence. I am honored to lead such a dynamic firm, and I look forward to the new chapters we will write together while we continue to design and build the future for our clients, colleagues, and communities.”
DiPofi joined SSOE in 2002 and boasts more than 40 years of professional experience. He has risen through the ranks as a Business Leader, Corporate Director of Business Development, and Chief Strategy Officer prior to becoming CEO of the Top 100 Design Firm (ENR, 2024). Through the years, he has been instrumental in developing numerous new accounts for SSOE and starting up the company’s ever-growing operations in Mexico. Today, he has the company focused on a technology-driven strategic plan, entering emerging markets, and operating with an intentional focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion—positioning the firm as one of the fastest-growing in the country and a leading-edge thought leader in artificial intelligence (AI) and design automation.
DiPofi holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toledo and is a licensed Professional Engineer in both Ohio and Michigan. He is active in the Toledo Society of Professional Engineers and was named the 2022 Engineer of the Year. DiPofi is also active in several non-profit organizations and serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the University of Toledo College of Engineering where he was named a Distinguished Alumni in 2019.
As a Michigan and Northwest Ohio regional award winner, DiPofi is now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 National Awards. The National Award winners, including the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced in November at the 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 2025.
Entrepreneur Of The Year Award winners become lifetime members of a global, multi-industry community of entrepreneurs. They receive exclusive, ongoing access to the experience, insight, and wisdom of program alumni and other ecosystem members in more than 60 countries — all supported by vast EY resources.
About Entrepreneur Of The Year®
Founded in 1986, Entrepreneur Of The Year® has celebrated more than 11,000 ambitious visionaries who are leading successful, dynamic businesses in the U.S., and it has since expanded to nearly 80 countries and territories globally.
The U.S. program consists of 17 regional programs whose panels of independent judges select the regional award winners every June. Those winners compete for national recognition at the Strategic Growth Forum® in November where National finalists and award winners are announced. The overall National winner represents the US at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year® competition. Visit ey.com/us/eoy to learn more.
