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Universal Services of America's Co-CEOs Win 2009 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award

Posted on: Friday, 12 June 2009, 19:11 CDT

SANTA ANA, Calif., June 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Brian Cescolini and Steve Jones, co-CEOs of Universal Services of America, have won the 2009 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the Orange County/Desert Cities area. The award honors entrepreneurs based on ingenuity, hard work and perseverance, paying tribute to growing business ventures and their excellence. The nation's most prestigious award, the Ernst & Young program is notorious for recognizing up and coming entrepreneurial businesses before they become household names.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081103/LAMFNS01LOGO)

The much-anticipated awards ceremony took place at the Hyatt Regency in Irvine, California, among hundreds of nominees and their guests. After selecting approximately twelve finalists, an independent panel of regional, business, academic and community leaders judged recipients in several different industry categories, including services, technology and communications, among others. A year-long curriculum, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year program is present in more than 50 countries and over 135 cities around the world. Cescolini and Jones stood out among the competitors and won for their outstanding accomplishments in the service industry.

Cescolini and Jones have managed to take what began as a small company more than 43 years ago, and turn it into the largest regional security and janitorial company in the U.S., with more than 8,000 security and janitorial professionals guarding and cleaning assets located throughout California, Arizona, Colorado and Washington. Despite many hardships over the years, Cescolini and Jones have grown the company through the unmatched client retentions and referrals that are the result of their company's superior service. As Universal expanded, Cescolini and Jones designed, implemented and refined recruiting, training, performance monitoring and incentive programs that sharpened the organization's effectiveness. The 2009 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award is an honor that Cescolini and Jones are proud to accept.

"To get to this great point in our business lives is due to the creative and relentless pursuits of our vision. Despite a lack of capital or other assets, we believed that we could make things happen," said Brian Cescolini, CEO/President of Universal Services of America. Cescolini also encourages others who dare to dream big, saying "entrepreneurs desire to create something special and their hard work and dedication will always pay off in the end."

"I am so proud of our entire organization," said Steven Jones, COO/Executive VP of Universal Services of America. "I am honored to accept this award on behalf of the 8,000 men and women who go the extra mile each and every day for our company and our clients."

Cescolini and Jones know a good part of their continued success comes from those who work with them, and view their employees as their most valuable assets. "Our employees are extremely passionate about the work we're doing," says Jones. "Really, this award goes to them."

"Our success is because of the hardworking associates who have helped grow our business along the way," agrees Cescolini. "They are the ones who do the heavy lifting everyday."

The loyalty Cescolini and Jones show their employees as they continue to grow their business has been noticed by both the awards committee and fellow entrepreneurs. "The understanding of how dependent their success was upon others who had helped them along the way is remarkable," said Lawrence Cassidy, Master Chair of Vistage International, Inc. Cassidy offered his congratulations to the award winners, adding "their ability to drive a stake into the ground despite a lack of capital or other assets that are abundant to larger competition is an impressive feat; they embody the raw power of entrepreneurship."

Despite the many daily challenges involved in running a company that services almost 1,000 job sites, Cescolini and Jones continue to expand their business, and have launched two new companies: Universal Security Systems, which runs as a security integration and alarm monitoring company, and Universal Building Maintenance, which performs all-green, environmentally-friendly janitorial services.

For additional news regarding the event, go to http://www.ocmetro.com/

For additional security tips, please visit: http://www.universalpro.com/SecurityUpdates.html

About Universal Services of America

Founded in 1965, Universal Services of America combines tradition with advanced technology to provide clients unmatched security protection, systems, fire/life safety and building maintenance services. Universal provides a full range of building services throughout Arizona, California, Colorado and Washington, and includes Universal Protection Service, Universal Building Maintenance, Universal Security Systems and Universal Fire/Life Safety Services. (State Licenses: 1003458, 14417, 1025514, 0600, 58361).Visit us at: http://www.universalpro.com.

SOURCE Universal Services of America

Source: PR Newswire

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