TiE Ohio, the Ohio chapter of The International Entrepreneur, recently announced the winners of the 2013 International Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in two categories. The awards were created to recognize the achievements of international entrepreneurs helping to reshape and rebuild Ohio’s business landscape and to highlight how international entrepreneurs contribute to the local economy. The award additionally recognizes entrepreneurs born outside the U.S. who started a business in Ohio.
In the first category, there were three nominees for the 2013 International Entrepreneur Award. Palanivel Kuppsamy, Founder/CEO of iPinion; Joao Simoes, President/CEO of Davenport Aviation and Yana Schottenstein, CEO of Access 2 Interpreters, LLC. Award criteria considered in selecting the finalist included business success (revenue generated, capital raised, jobs created, progress with international vendors, entering new markets), impact and leadership in the Ohio community, and the innovation and creativity demonstrated in structuring the business.
Yana Schottenstein, Founder of Access 2 Interpreters, LLC received the 2013 award in a ceremony held at the OCLC Conference Center in Dublin, Ohio on September 19, 2013. “I was a finalist for this award last year and it was such an honor to just be considered an international entrepreneur making an impact on Ohio’s economy,” stated Schottenstein. “I can’t describe the excitement of actually winning the award! Having the opportunity to serve the needs of the Ohio business community and provide meaningful employment to people with diverse and international background is rewarding in itself. Being recognized for our company’s efforts is icing on the cake!”
Access 2 Interpreters utilizes the expertise of over 400 employees and independent contractors who come to central Ohio from all over the world to provide emergency face-to-face interpretation in over 70 languages locally. The Columbus based company also provides over 180 languages for instantaneous telephone interpretation services nationwide, and written translation services all over the globe. “It is important to provide equal opportunity and access to services for people who don’t speak English,” stated Yana Schottenstein. “That was my goal when I initially founded Access 2 Interpreters. The fact that we are one of the largest interpretation and translation agencies in Ohio and now the winner of this TiE Ohio Award is very rewarding.”
“While the award is gratifying, our goal is to continue to grow and serve more people throughout the world by bridging the gap in communication,” remarked Schottenstein. “Access 2 Interpreters fills an important void for many businesses and we’re going to work hard to continue serving this market.”
About Access 2 Interpreters: Access 2 Interpreters, LLC is a Columbus, Ohio based company exclusively dedicated to filling interpretation and translation needs. Access 2 Interpreters provides Face-to-Face Interpretation Services in over 70 languages throughout the central Ohio area. Access also provides Instantaneous Telephone Interpretation Services in over 180 languages and Translation Services globally.