Ernst & Young LLP has announced the Los Angeles area finalists for its Entrepreneur of the Year award.

The 27-year-old program recognizes entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.

Finalists with companies based in Los Angeles County include Janice Bryant Howroyd, chief executive of Act 1 Group in Torrance; Dinesh Ravishanker, chief executive and co-founder of CallFire in Santa Monica; Mel Elias, chief executive of Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in Los Angeles; Clarence Daniels Jr., chief executive of Concession Management Services in Los Angeles; Sam Naficy, chief executive of DTT in Los Angeles; Jeff Stibel, chief executive of Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. in Malibu; Martha de la Torre and Joe Badame, co-founders of El Clasificado in Norwalk.

Additional local finalists are Jamey Edwards, chief executive of Emergent Medical Associates in Manhattan Beach; the An Family, founders of House of An restaurants in Beverly Hills; Ed Bagdasarian, president, Jim Freedman, chairman and Mike Rosenberg, chief executive of Intrepid Investment Bankers LLC in Los Angeles; Bob Sinnott, chief executive of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors L.P. in Los Angeles; Moctesuma Esparza, chief executive of Maya Cinemas North America Inc. in Los Angeles; Demian Sellfors, chief executive of Media Temple in Culver City; Tim Cadogan, chief executive of OpenX in Pasadena; Loren Bendele, president & co-founder of Savings.com in Los Angeles; Walter Driver, chief executive of Scopely in Los Angeles.

Finalists outside the county are Rick Stollmeyer, chief executive of MindBody Inc. in San Luis Obispo, Jessica Firestone, chief executive of Tempest Telecom Solutions LLC in Santa Barbara; and Jeff Green, chief executive and founder of Trade Desk in Ventura.

Regional award winners, who go on to compete at the national level, will be announced June 18 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.