Plateau Systems CEO, Paul Sparta Named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® 2004 Award Recipient
The Arlington Chamber of Commerce and the Arlington Economic Development Commission Recognize Plateau System's contributions to the Arlington community
ARLINGTON, VA • June 18, 2004 - Paul Sparta of Plateau Systems was named an award recipient by professional services firm Ernst & Young LLP for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2004 Awards in McLean, VA in the Software & Technology Award category. Sparta was selected by an independent panel of judges comprised of local community and business leaders and announced at an award banquet on June 17, 2004 at the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner.
Plateau Systems is the leading provider of learning management systems (LMS), a Web-based enterprise software that enables large organizations to manage, track and deploy training for thousands of employees at a time. With customers including General Electric, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (GoLearn) and the American Red Cross, Plateau's software is the engine behind the three largest e-learning initiatives in the corporate, government and non-profit sectors.
Under Sparta's steadfast leadership, Plateau has continuously earned an impressive roster of Global 2000 customers. With only a single round of venture funding raised four years ago, Sparta has guided Plateau to increased revenues of more than 1,000 percent since 1999. In addition, the company has been profitable for the last six quarters.
"While I am truly honored to have been recognized among so many smart and successful entrepreneurs," said Paul Sparta, chairman and CEO of Plateau Systems. "This award is a tribute to Plateau's existence and success thus far, and is largely attributable to the other Plateau founders - Brad Cooper, Ed Cohen and Brian Murphy - who are certainly as deserving as I am. In fact, this honor is truly a credit to the drive, dedication and hard work of the entire Plateau team."
Paul Sparta will be eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2004 national program. Award recipients in several national categories, as well as the Overall National Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Spring, CA on November 20, 2004.
About Plateau: Plateau is the leading provider of enterprise software that manages learning and organizational readiness. Plateau 4 Learning Management System (LMS) is built on Web-based J2EE architecture, and is the engine behind the largest LMS initiatives in the corporate, non-profit and government markets. Plateau's software is being used to manage learning and improve human performance at organizations including the American Red Cross, Morgan Stanley, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Air Force. Plateau is listed as a leader in LMS evaluations from Gartner Inc. and META Group. The company is headquartered in Arlington, VA.
About the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® Awards Program: The Entrepreneur Of The Year awards program was created and is produced by professional services firm Ernst & Young LLP. As the first award of its kind, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic and growing businesses. The program honors entrepreneurs through regional, national and global award programs in over 100 cities and 35 countries.
About Ernst & Young: Ernst & Young, a global leader in professional services, is committed to restoring the public's trust in professional services firms and in the quality of financial reporting. Its 103,000 people in more than 140 countries around the globe pursue the highest levels of integrity, quality, and professionalism to provide clients with solutions based on financial, transactional, and risk-management knowledge in Ernst & Young's core services of audit, tax, and transaction advisory services. Further information about Ernst & Young and its approach to a variety of business issues can be found at www.ey.com/perspectives. Ernst & Young refers to all the members of the global Ernst & Young organization.
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