"As I prepare for the judges' meeting, I always review the standards (provided by Ernst & Young)," he said, noting that they include vision, leadership, achievement and social responsibility.

But, Warnock said, there are other entrepreneurial values that lift certain companies above the rest.

"Of all the people in the (judges') room I think I'm the one who is, most of all, looking for an entrepreneur that's doing something that has not been done before," he said. "Say it's a business model that exists in other regions or industries; maybe it's a franchise of a dealer of some kind, an auto dealer or a real estate builder — those are industries where there are patterns to follow.

"When I see someone who's created a business that's never been done before, I tend to really respect those businesses. There have definitely been franchises and dealers I've really liked, but I tend to be the one of all the judges who says, this is not the 'largest company in the state' contest, or the 'I made the most money' contest — it's the 'Entrepreneur of the Year contest.' I try to remind people, let's think abut the undertaking and difficult nature of the task and its impact on the community."

Allen agreed, saying uniqueness and persistence mean most to him as a judge.

"It was really fun to be involved," he said. "What I love about entrepreneurship is experiencing the other entrepreneurs' passion, the persistence, the dedication, what it takes to turn an idea into success. All of the finalists and most of the nominees have already turned the corner. They are in the middle of a success story.

"You hear so much about start-ups going out of business and the small-business failure rate being so high. For me, this was an incredible glance at successful entrepreneurship in Utah."

Great stories

Jack Brittain, dean of the University of Utah's David Eccles School of Business, has judged the past seven EOY contests, reviewing the companies' financial history, learning founders' stories and interviewing nominees.

"The key for the judges is to sift through and find great entrepreneurial stories, and to ask hard questions about the viability of the business," Brittain said. "The judges bring a healthy dose of skepticism and an insistence that there's a successful business as well as a good story."

Debate among the judges often is what Brittain wryly called "vigorous."

"Everybody on the panel can kind of give and take," he said. "We've got some really strong opinions about what constitutes entrepreneurship.