Coble Trench Safety Inc. announced that its president, Tom Coble, is a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2009 Award in the Carolinas. The Ernst & Young awards program recognizes entrepreneurs that demonstrate extraordinary innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Coble was selected as a finalist from nearly 75 nominations by a panel of independent judges. Award winners will be announced at a special gala event on June 18 at the Westin Charlotte.

Coble feels that the award further recognizes what Coble Trench Safety has accomplished since it began in 2002.

“When Coble Trench Safety first entered the trench safety industry, we had grand dreams and one branch location. We opened our initial location, the Raleigh, N.C., branch, [and] focused on providing contractors [with] trench safety products and services. Through a steadfast commitment to superior customer service and product quality, we have been able to grow to nine branch locations in four states with customers throughout the Southeast and along the East coast.”

Coble said, “Being recognized amongst some truly great regional companies is truly an honor. I am very grateful to Ernst & Young as well as the employees of Coble Trench Safety that have helped to make Coble Trench Safety what it is.”

The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year awards program celebrates its 23rd anniversary this year. The program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 135 cities in 50 countries throughout the world.

Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the Ernst & Young LLP Entrepreneur Of The Year national program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the overall national Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, Calif., on Nov. 14, 2009. The awards are the culminating event of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum, a gathering of high-growth companies.

About Tom Coble

Coble began his career in equipment rental while working for the Rev. Jerry Falwell serving as his executive pilot. He had idle time while waiting for flights, and he spent it looking up crane companies in airport phone books and brokering used equipment sales.

By the late 1970s, Coble found the field promising enough to devote his full attention to launching his own business — Coble Cranes & Equipment. By the early 80s, the company was a full-line distributor for Case and was renting on a limited basis. Coble initially opened his operation as a typical equipment dealer.

However, faced with the recession of the early 1990s, Coble began looking at his options. Research was conducted and, after reviewing the information, Coble changed his company’s focus to equipment rentals. The company expanded into Greensboro, Charlotte, Winston-Salem and Raleigh, N.C.

In July 1999, Coble Cranes & Equipment/Coble Rents was sold to a publicly traded company.

About Coble Trench Safety

Coble Trench Safety is dedicated to providing the construction industry with a complete line of trench safety equipment, as well as OSHA-compliant training classes. Coble Trench Safety has branch locations in Baltimore, Md., Charleston, S.C., Charlotte, N.C., Greensboro, N.C., Myrtle Beach, S.C., Norfolk, Va., Raleigh, N.C., Richmond, Va., and Washington D.C.

For more information, visit www.cobletrenchsafety.com. CEG

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