Ernst & Young Announce sgis ceo Hany Girgis as Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist

San Diego, California (June 7, 2006) – Ernst & Young LLP announced Hany Girgis, President and CEO of SGIS, as one of three finalists for its 2006 Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the High Technology category today.  Girgis was selected by an independent panel of judges comprised of local business, academic and community leaders.  This elite group of well known executives includes leaders and creators who build and sustain world-class businesses that are a testament to vision, leadership, achievement and social responsibility.  The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards consist of five categories and recognized a total of 16 finalists this year in the San Diego region.  "This year's finalists are true visionaries who have contributed to economic growth, innovation, and cutting-edge products and services," says Niki Krutop, Awards Program Director of Ernst & Young.

With current revenues in excess of $42 million per year after only four years in business, Girgis is pursuing his vision of a $1 billion company.  Girgis says, "It is an honor to be named a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.  The other finalists and past award winners are all very successful, distinguished members of the San Diego business community and just being named a finalist is extremely satisfying.  This is a team award and my entire company should be acknowledged as well.  Without such an amazing group of employees and management, SGIS would not be able to sustain the phenomenal growth we have had over the last 3 ½ years.”

In June of 2002, Girgis, founded SGIS from his home. Since inception, the company has grown from an operation run from the guest bedroom of the Girgis home into a company that delivers government Information Technology and Engineering services to a diverse group of organizations throughout the United States . Unsurpassed by industry standards, SGIS was recently named the 13th Fastest Growing New Company in America by Entrepreneur magazine in 2006.

A remarkable amount of personal risk was required to present a new business idea within this already saturated market place, and in 2002 the economy was at a low point due to the September 11th attacks on our nation. However, Girgis demonstrated forethought in recognizing that the up-coming boom in defense spending would require an increase in government contracting.  This foresight, along with his perseverance and team player attitude, has transitioned SGIS from a one man company to a growing business of over 480 employees.

Previous Entrepreneur of the Year winners include individuals who have built some of business's most recognizable names: Michael Dell of Dell Computer Corporation; Irwin Jacobs of Qualcomm, Inc.; Scott Kriens of Juniper Networks; Pierre Omidyar of eBay, Inc.; Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com; Sergey Brin and Larry Page of Google, Inc.; Howard Schultz of Starbucks Corporation; Catherine L. Hughes and Alfred Liggins of Radio One; and Jim McCann of 1-800-Flowers.com.

The winners of the Ernst & Young 2006 Entrepreneur of the Year Awards will be announced at a 20th anniversary gala June 14, 2006 at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines in San Diego, California.  Local recipients will be eligible for consideration for the National Entrepreneur of the Year Awards at a gala ceremony in Palm Springs , California in November 2006.  The program culminates in the World Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in Monte Carlo , Monaco in June 2006.

About SGIS

SGIS provides services and solutions that defend the United States and its citizens from threats, provides advanced tools to soldiers who defend the nation and assists government agencies in running their business more effectively. SGIS has teamed with numerous organizations within the Intelligence, Homeland Security, Defense and Space communities to form alliances needed for successful missions. The company specializes in the areas of Information Technology, Engineering, Intelligence Solutions, Global Telecommunications and Logistics. SGIS partnered with the United States Government and joined the counter-terrorism and counter-intelligence effort, quickly becoming a major component of several government agencies’ support teams. SGIS also provides some of the highest quality Intelligence Analysis and Border Control services available in the country. The company’s teams of highly trained and security cleared experts work diligently to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States and reduce our country’s vulnerability to terrorism. SGIS also deploys with the troops they support. SGIS supports critical services for the U.S. Military, the Department of Defense (DoD), the Pentagon, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), to name a few. SGIS provides services at the state and local levels as well.

About the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Program

The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 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. Over the past twenty years, this award has developed the reputation as the most prestigious honor for entrepreneurs. The program honors entrepreneurs through regional, national and global award programs in over 100 cities and 35 countries.

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