Shari Dingle Costantini, founder and CEO of Avant Healthcare Professionals in Orlando, recently won the EY Award for Entrepreneur of the Year. Avant recruits and staffs internationally-educated registered nurses and allied health professionals in health care facilities around the country. EY has recognized exceptional entrepreneurs in Florida for three decades and is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services.
She founded Avant in 2003 with a passion to improve patient care and health care facility staffing.
“Winning Entrepreneur of the Year and being recognized by this prestigious program was only possible through the combined efforts of the tremendous and gifted team at Avant,” says Shari Dingle Costantini, RN, MBA. “It is a privilege to be able to change lives in such a profound way both here in the U.S. and throughout the world.”
This year’s group of leading entrepreneurs were selected by an independent judging panel made up of previous award winners, leading CEOs, investors and other regional business leaders. The winners were unveiled at a special gala on June 23rd at the Omni Orlando Resort at Champions Gate.
“This year’s winners represent a courageous group of leaders whose companies energize markets and spur economic growth,” said Mike Pattillo, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year program director. “These outstanding entrepreneurs join the ranks of over three decades of entrepreneurs who dare to see past the present to define the future.”
The winners for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2017 Florida Awards program include:
Lifetime Achievement Award: Cesar L. Alvarez, Greenberg Traurig, LLP, Miami
Emerging: Adriana Cisneros, Cisneros Interactive, Miami
Financial Services: Rob Nunziata and Sal A. “Joe” Nunziata, FBC Mortgage, LLC, Orlando
Health Care: Shari Dingle Costantini, Avant Healthcare Professionals, Casselberry
IT Security: Brian P. Murphy, ReliaQuest, Tampa
Real Estate and Construction: John Raymond Sofarelli, Sr., J. Raymond Construction Corp., Longwood
Retail and Consumer Products: Edie Rodriguez, Crystal, Miami
Services: Brett Beveridge, The Revenue Optimization Companies (T-ROC), Coral Gables
Technology: Pete Pizarro, Ilumno, Miami
Regional award winners are now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall National Award winner, will be announced at the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards gala in Palm Springs, California on November 18, 2017. The awards are the culminating event of the EY Strategic Growth ForumTM, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies. The Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall Award winner then moves on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in Monaco in June 2018.
Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP in the US, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored in the US by SAP America, Merrill Corporation and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.
