2023 CEO Pinnacle Awards – Winners Announced

Chicago, IL—February 13, 2024—Winners of the 2023 CEO Pinnacle™ Awards have been selected after a nomination period and judging process that began in October 2023. The annual program is produced by the Chief Executives Council, a community and platform focused on best practice resources, career development and training, strategic research, and peer networking.

Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), Presidents, Founders and related titles were eligible to enter. Applicants were self-nominated or nominated by a colleague via a brief online application form that requests anonymous information on 2023 financial performance, work experience, volunteer or philanthropic activities, and educational background.

All nominations were screened by an algorithm, and then judged by Chief Executive Council board advisors. The following Winners and Runners-Up are announced for 5 categories based on size and type.

Category/Classification 2023 Winners Company        Title
Small Business/Winner Brett Hickey Star Mountain Capital Founder & CEO
Small Business/Runner-Up Cleve Adams Trestle Group CEO
Medium/Winner Chris Schultz Voodoo Doughnut CEO
Large/Winner Arthur Dodge Ecore International Chairman & CEO
Not-For-Profit/Winner Dr. Eric Anthony Johnson Aeon CEO
Not-For-Profit/Runner-Up Q. Olivia Rivers Bridge Over Troubled Waters CEO
Startup/Winner Joshua Lee Ardius Div. Gusto Founder & CEO

From the category winners above, a 2023 National CEO Pinnacle Award winner was selected based on the same criteria. Congratulations to Brett Hickey, Star Mountain Capital.

“Chief Executives continued to demonstrate their significant contributions in 2023, and the CEO Pinnacle Awards brings recognition to these hard-working individuals”, states Neil Brown, CEO, Chief Executives Council. “We wish the winners of the CEO Pinnacle Awards continued success and hope their examples can help others excel during these challenging and unprecedented times.”

All winners and runners-up will be notified by email and receive a frame-quality Certificate. The 2023 National CEO Pinnacle Award winner will receive a gold-plated and engraved statuette/trophy manufactured by the makers of the Oscar® Awards.

Applications and registration for the 2024 CEO Pinnacle Awards will begin October 15, 2024 at the following link: www.chiefexecutivescouncil.org/ceo-awards/.

ABOUT the Chief Executives Council

Chief Executives Council™ is a community and platform for CEOs, Presidents, Founders and related professionals focused on best practice resources, career development and training, peer networking and recognition. Programs include research studies on strategic topics, webinars and roundtable panels, informative articles and whitepapers, the CEO Insights™ Interview Series, and the annual CEO Pinnacle™ Awards. Chief Executives Council publishes the annual CEO Sentiment™ Study, the CEO Financial Performance Index™ (FPI), and the CEO Spending/Budget Index (SBI). For more information, visit www.ChiefExecutivesCouncil.org, or call Neil Brown, CEO at 630-710-4710.

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