RICHMOND, Va., Nov. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Tonya Mallory, President, CEO and Co-founder of Health Diagnostic Laboratory, Inc., has been named the Ernst & Young National Entrepreneur Of The Year^® 2012 Emerging Category Award winner. The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award is the country's most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The award encourages entrepreneurial activity and recognizes leaders and visionaries who demonstrate innovation, financial success and personal commitment as they create and build world-class businesses.

Mallory was recognized for bringing her vision that medicine should be preventative, not reactionary, to fruition. Through her commitment and focus on improving the disease management services that Health Diagnostics Laboratory, Inc. (HDL) provides, as well as expanding the network of physicians it caters to, Mallory hopes to gain market share and significantly reverse the trend of increasing medical care costs.  She was honored at the Entrepreneur Of The Year gala, the culminating event of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum^® in Palm Springs, Calif. The Forum is the nation's premier gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies. Awards were given in nine additional categories. All Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award winners were selected by an independent panel of judges from 244 regional award recipients. 

"The best ideas usually come to life when entrepreneurs look to fill a gap in an industry they feel passionate about," said Bryan Pearce, Americas Director, Entrepreneur Of The Year, Ernst & Young LLP. "Capitalizing on her unique business model, Mallory has beat the odds, gaining traction in an otherwise well-established healthcare market with big players."

Inspiration from experience on the front lines

Mallory began her professional career as a laboratory technician where she gained more than 20 years of experience in clinical diagnostics and disease management. It was during that time she realized how reactionary medical practices are after an event such as a heart attack or stroke has happened; there were relatively few preventative measures in place for high-risk patients. Her vision was to assist in identifying and treating the patient before a more serious condition occurs, and to cut down on the exorbitant costs of an emergency room visit in the process.

In early 2009, Tonya Mallory set out to make her vision a reality, changing the way medicine was practiced. She cashed in her 401K and her children's college savings plans and gave herself six months to start a company that would help her reach that goal. She was able to raise additional funds as necessary to launch HDL, which has enjoyed substantial growth and market acceptance.

Navigating explosive growth of a new company

The main challenge Mallory faced with HDL was surprisingly not that of opposition from its competitors and those within the industry, but rather handling its rapid growth and immediate success. Mallory attributes her successful navigation of this explosive growth period to a few key areas of focus: early investment and emphasis on information technology; establishing the company's culture – HDL increased its number of employees to 126 in 2010, 375 in 2011, and employs approximately 500 today. With business booming, and the company growing quickly, Mallory personally meets all new employees and also hired a vice president of corporate culture. Finally, there is a focus on innovation – HDL places a premium on entrepreneurial employees who welcome change and incentivizing people to think creatively.

In addition to Mallory, the Ernst & Young National Entrepreneur Of The Year Emerging finalists were: Charles Forrest Burke, CEO, LOGC2, Inc. dba Connected Logistics, based in Huntsville, Ala., a company focused on bridging the gap between logistics and information technology for vast, complex and critical supply chains; Tom Gildred, CEO, Emerald Textiles, based in San Diego, Calif., a regional hospital laundry service leader; and Joe Reynolds, President and Architect of Adventure, and  Ryan Kunkel, President and Master of Monkeybusiness, Red Frog Events, based in Chicago, Ill., an independent event production company. National Entrepreneur Of The Year^® 2012 Overall Award winner

Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder of Chobani, was named the Ernst & Young National Entrepreneur Of The Year^® 2012 Overall Award winner.

Video and photos

To view video clips of all of the Entrepreneur Of The Year winners, please visit ey.com/us/eoy. Photos of the winners are also available by request.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored in the United States by SAP America and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

About Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur Of The Year

Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world's most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The unique award makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 140 cities in 50 countries.

About Ernst & Young LLP's Strategic Growth Markets practice

Ernst & Young LLP's Strategic Growth Markets (SGM) practice guides leading high-growth companies. Our multidisciplinary team of elite professionals provides perspective and advice to help our clients accelerate market leadership. SGM delivers assurance, tax, transactions and advisory services to thousands of companies spanning all industries. Ernst & Young is the undisputed leader in taking companies public, advising key government agencies on the issues impacting high-growth companies and convening the experts who shape the business climate. For more information, please visit us at ey.com/us/strategicgrowthmarkets, or follow news on Twitter at EY_Growth.

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SOURCE Ernst & Young