Tracy Holland, CEO of HatchBeauty, honored as Entrepreneur of the Year

09-Jul-2017 - Last updated on 10-Jul-2017 at 13:45 GMT

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The annual award, given by Ernst & Young Global Limited, is one of several such awards the firm’s growth markets network gives regionally, nationally, and globally. Holland’s recognition comes in the manufacturing and distribution category in Los Angeles, California, and is an indication of the growing presence the cosmetics industry has out west.

The Entrepreneur of the Year award program “makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement,” according to a press release announcing Tracy Holland’s win late last month.

Holland and this year’s other regional-level winners are in the running for a national Entrepreneur of the Year award. The national honorees will be announced at a gala event this November in Palm Springs, California.

The beauty company

HatchBeauty is a full-service beauty maker, offering brands and retailers R&D, creative services, brand strategy, packaging design, and more. According the HatchBeauty site, the company goes well beyond basic manufacturing and “[provides] insight on trend intelligence, business strategy, brand incubation and the creation of innovative retail programs across all channels of distribution.”

The company got its start in 2009 and is actually a small group of companies: the HatchBeauty Agency, which focuses on design and product development; HatchBeauty Products, a turnkey brand services provider; and HatchBeauty Labs, a product manufacturing venture in Durham, North Carolina.

The business case

The Entrepreneur of the Year award in manufacturing and distribution “recognizes entrepreneurs who are excelling in areas such as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities,” according to the EY press release.

And for Holland it’s also a testament to her initiative and follow-through as a professional. Trusting her own ideas, she reimagined the conventional workplace: “It was such an honor to receive this recognition from EY,” she tells the press. “As a woman entrepreneur who is passionate for building companies and developing people, it is always a balance with being a mother of three children. I was told I would have to choose between career and motherhood. I believe that women need to figure out how to push past these norms and find their own normal, determine what works for them and turn the belief that 'it is not really possible' to create their own possibilities,” Holland explains.

An independent judging panel determined the regional winners, and Holland accepted her ward at an event last month in Beverly Hills, California.

The team work

It’s not surprising that Holland is well regarded at HatchBeauty. “Over the five years that I have worked with Tracy, I have seen up close her rare blend of vision, attention to detail, commitment to culture and passion for serving her clients,” Christie Hefner, the company’s board chair, says in the release. “She is an exceptional and inspirational leader.”

And Holland acknowledges that this award speaks not only to her accomplishments to but those of everyone at HatchBeauty. When she learned that she was in the running for Entrepreneur of the Year, Holland remarked, “It's such an honor to have been selected as a semifinalist for EY Entrepreneur Of The Year. I have the privilege of helping to lead an incredible team at HatchBeauty, and we pride ourselves on being innovators in the ever-changing beauty space.”

“To be recognized for those efforts...is incredibly humbling for myself and the rest of the HatchBeauty family.”