Press Release

Thesis CEO Ryan Buchanan named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2021 Pacific Northwest Region Award Finalist.

For Immediate Release:

PORTLAND, OR — August 4, 2021 — Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) recently announced that Ryan Buchanan, CEO of Thesis, was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2021 Pacific Northwest Region Award finalist. Now in its 35th year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year program honors unstoppable business leaders whose ambition, ingenuity, and courage in the face of adversity help catapult us from the now to next and beyond.

This recognition honors Buchanan’s commitment to inclusion, equity, and sustainability in the workforce, also demonstrated by his role as co-founder of the Emerging Leaders nonprofit and Thesis’s recent achievement in earning B Corp Certification. Buchanan was selected by a panel of independent judges composed of previous award winners. Award winners will be announced during a special virtual celebration on August 4, 2021, and will become lifetime members of an esteemed community of Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni from around the world.

Entrepreneur Of The Year is one of the preeminent competitive award programs for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. The nominees are evaluated based on six criteria: entrepreneurial leadership; talent management; degree of difficulty; financial performance; societal impact and building a values-based company; and originality, innovation, and future plans. Since its launch, the program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries around the world.

“I’m grateful to be recognized among this class of entrepreneurs,” said Buchanan. “It’s like-minded professionals like the current and past nominees, especially those with commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, that continue to inspire and push me to pursue ambitious ideas. I’m honored to be part of this group.”

Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, to 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 EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award in June 2022.



Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored by SAP America and the Kauffman Foundation. In the Pacific Northwest Region, sponsors also include PNC Bank.

About Entrepreneur Of The Year®

Entrepreneur Of The Year® is the world’s most prestigious business awards program for unstoppable entrepreneurs. These visionary leaders deliver innovation, growth, and prosperity that transform our world. The program engages entrepreneurs with insights and experiences that foster growth. It connects them with their peers to strengthen entrepreneurship around the world. Entrepreneur Of The Year is the first and only truly global awards program of its kind. It celebrates entrepreneurs through regional and national awards programs in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries. National Overall winners go on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ title. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.

About EY Private 

As Advisors to the ambitious™, EY Private professionals possess the experience and passion to support private businesses and their owners in unlocking the full potential of their ambitions. EY Private teams offer distinct insights born from the long EY history of working with business owners and entrepreneurs. These teams support the full spectrum of private enterprises, including private capital managers and investors and the portfolio businesses they fund, business owners, family businesses, family offices, and entrepreneurs. Visit ey.com/us/private.

About EY

EY exists to build a better working world, helping create long-term value for clients, people, and society and build trust in the capital markets. Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform, and operate. Working across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax, and transactions, EY teams ask better questions to find new answers for the complex issues facing our world today.

EY refers to the global organization and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

About Thesis

Founded in 2002, Thesis, formerly eROI, is an award-winning, full-service digital agency specializing in email marketing, strategy, web design, development, and social media. Thesis offers account planning, performance management, relationship management, and brand, campaign, content, social, and digital-channel strategy to help partners connect with audiences in meaningful ways. Thesis was named among the Portland Business Journal’s Most Admired Companies in 2019 and named one of the 100 Best Companies to Work for in Oregon. For more information, please visit https://thesis.agency.

###