Novel CEO Cliff Kaehler, Entrepreneur of the Year 2021 Heartland Finalist

Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced that Cliff Kaehler, CEO of Novel Energy Solutions was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2021 Heartland 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. 

Cliff was selected by a panel of independent judges. Award winners will be announced during a special virtual celebration on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, becoming 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. 

”It’s an honor to be recognized as a finalist for the Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2021 Heartland Award,” says Cliff Kaehler. “What was once just a dream has become reality due to the hard work and dedication of the people around me. Once an early leader in Minnesota solar development, Novel Energy now develops nationwide. We are making a better world for those who come after us while creating rewarding jobs now. Doing what is right and making a profit is what makes this progress sustainable.”

Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, to be announced in November 2021 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 Heartland Region sponsors also include Colliers International, Padilla, PNC Bank, SALO, LLC, and Twin Cities Business.

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. 

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. 

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.

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About Novel Energy Solutions

Novel Energy Solutions is a family-owned, Minnesota-based solar energy company, founded by a fifth-generation Minnesota family farmer. Novel is helping customers enjoy the benefits of solar—whether they want it for their home, farm, business, non-profit, religious, or government entities. Novel customers have the option to join one of its off-site community solar gardens, or to install full-scale solar arrays of their own.