Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) named Jeffrey Kiesel, Restaurant
Technologies CEO, as an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2024 Heartland
Award finalist. The Heartland program celebrates entrepreneurs from
the Dakotas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas. Now
in its 38th year, Entrepreneur of The Year is the preeminent
competitive business award for audacious leaders who disrupt
markets, revolutionize sectors, and have a transformational impact
on lives. Over the past four decades, the program has recognized
daring entrepreneurs with big ideas and bold actions that reshape
our world.
Kiesel was one of 28
regional entrepreneurs selected as finalists by an independent
panel of judges. The candidates were evaluated based on their
demonstration of building long-term value through entrepreneurial
spirit, purpose, growth, and impact, among other core contributions
and attributes.
“This recognition is only
possible with the dedication of a great team working towards a
shared vision, and I am proud of all that we have accomplished
together over the last 20 years,” said Kiesel. “It is an honor to
be included among the prestigious executives who have made such a
significant impact within their industries. I am inspired by all my
colleagues who continue to help shape the world around
us."
Restaurant Technologies
had twelve depots and just 250 employees when Kiesel joined the
organization as CEO in 2005. Under his leadership, the organization
has shown consistent double-digit growth annually and now services
40,000 customers in 41 depots with 1,500 employees nationwide. Over
the last two decades, he has proven the ability to adapt and evolve
to meet business needs. He has led the organization through five
private equity sales, and through two of the most challenging
business times in our generation – the Great Recession and the
Covid-19 pandemic.
In addition to the
organization’s business growth, Kiesel has transformed the
organization with its Environmental, Social, and Governance
initiatives. Restaurant Technologies recycled over 314 million
pounds of used cooking oil in 2023 and, with the help of its
renewable energy partners, converted it to renewable diesel or
biodiesel. He has also matched donations to the Restaurant
Technologies Educational Foundation each year. The foundation has
raised over $550,000 for over 50 students since it was established
in 2013.
The Entrepreneur of the
Year award honors many different types of business leaders for
their ingenuity, courage, and entrepreneurial spirit. The program
celebrates original founders who bootstrapped their business from
inception or who raised outside capital to grow their company;
transformational CEOs who infused innovation into an existing
organization to catapult its trajectory; and multigenerational
family business leaders who reimagined a legacy business model to
fortify it for the future.
Regional award winners
will be announced on June 20th during a special celebration and
will become lifetime members of an esteemed community of
Entrepreneur of The Year alumni from around the world. The winners
will then be considered by the National judges for the Entrepreneur
of The Year National Awards, which will be presented in November at
the annual Strategic Growth Forum®, one of the nation’s most
prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading
companies.
In addition to
Entrepreneur of the Year, EY US supports other entrepreneurs
through the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ program and the EY
Entrepreneurs Access Network to help connect women founders and
Black and Hispanic/Latino entrepreneurs, respectively, with the
resources, network and access needed to unlock their full
potential.
Sponsors Founded and produced by Ernst
& Young LLP, the Entrepreneur of The Year Awards include
presenting sponsors PNC Bank, Cresa, Marsh USA, SAP and the Ewing
Marion Kauffman Foundation. In the Heartland, sponsors also include
regional Platinum sponsor, Twin Cities Business; regional Gold
sponsor, Padilla; and regional Silver sponsors, Brillect and Robert
Half.
About Restaurant
Technologies Restaurant Technologies is the
leading provider of commercial kitchen solutions for nearly 40,000
customers nationwide. Since 1999, its Total Oil Management and
AutoMist® solutions help “Control the Kitchen Chaos” for
quick-service and full-service restaurant chains, independent
restaurants, grocery stores, hotels, resorts, casinos, hospitals,
and more. By automating the hardest tasks in the kitchen,
Restaurant Technologies improves food quality, safety, and
efficiency for its customers.
Total Oil
Management eliminates the manual handling of cooking oil through an
automated solution that delivers, stores, filters, monitors, and
removes oil. Restaurant Technologies also works with renewable
energy partners to recycle used cooking oil into renewable fuels
for a more sustainable business. AutoMist automates hood and flue
cleaning to reduce fire risk and create a cleaner, safer work
environment. Headquartered in Mendota Heights,
Minnesota, Restaurant Technologies is privately held and operates
41 depots nationwide with more than 1,500 employees. For more
information, visit www.rti-inc.com, or follow on LinkedIn,
Facebook, Instagram or X @RTIoil.
About Entrepreneur
Of The Year® Founded in
1986, Entrepreneur Of The Year® has celebrated more than 11,000
ambitious visionaries who are leading successful, dynamic
businesses in the US, and it has since expanded to nearly 80
countries and territories globally.
The US program consists
of 17 regional programs whose panels of independent judges select
the regional award winners every June. Those winners compete for
national recognition at the Strategic Growth Forum® in November
where National finalists and award winners are announced. The
overall National winner represents the US at the World Entrepreneur
Of The Year® competition. Visit ey.com/us/eoy. About
EY EY exists to build a better working world,
helping to 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.
###
- Jeffrey Kiesel, Restaurant Technologies CEO
David Cheng
Restaurant Technologies
6123089360
dcheng@rti-inc.com