CLEVELAND – Kelly Price, CEO of National Automotive Experts and NWAN (NAE/NWAN), was selected as a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 Award for the Northeast Ohio region. The 31-year-old awards program recognizes entrepreneurs who are excelling in areas such as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.

“It’s an honor and a blessing to count myself among the accomplished entrepreneurs selected by the panel,” said Price. “I started my business in 1996 after spending many years as vice president of finance for an auto dealership group, based on the guiding principal that every client deserves a first-class experience.” 

Since then, NAE/NWAN has grown into a reputable F&I product provider known for its highly-customizable administrative services. The company is also big on giving back to the community. Recently, the firm announced it had raised $59,000 for the Cleveland Christian Home, one of many charities and organizations NAE/NWAN supports.

“Kelly built an amazingly mission-centric company, focused on providing top-notch and transparent service to every agent partner, dealership, and customer we serve,” said David Neuenschwander, who named president of NAE/NWAN last month.  “Under her leadership, the companies’ focus is on the relationship and belief that taking care of the customer is the core of what we do.”

As a finalist in the Northeast Ohio region, Price, her family, and members of her team will attend a special gala event on June 22 at the Hilton Downtown Hotel in Cleveland, where the regional awards will be presented. Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur of the Year National competition, which will be presented at an awards gala in Palm Springs, Calif., on Nov. 18, 2017. The awards are the culminating event of the Strategic Growth Forum, a prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.

“Growth is the goal of any entrepreneur,” Price said.  “When people ask how far the companies will go, I always tell them that we’ll be as big as we can get, so long as we are excellent at what we do.”