Ernst & Young: Tonya Mallory Named Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2012

By Rob Starr, Content Manager, Big4com

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.

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.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 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