Releases

posted on 13 June 2008 08:09

Eden Prairie, Minn., June 12, 2008 — Compellent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE Arca: CML) today announced that the company’s three co-founders received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2008 Award in the Emerging category of the Upper Midwest regional program.

Compellent CEO Phil Soran, COO John Guider and CTO Larry Aszmann were selected by an independent panel of judges, and the award was presented at the Minneapolis Marriott on June 5, 2008. The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic, growing businesses. As an Upper Midwest award winner, the Compellent founders are now eligible for consideration for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2008 national program.

The award marks another significant milestone for Compellent. The company’s storage area network (SAN) product recently earned the Diogenes Labs-Storage magazine 2008 Quality Award, ranking no. 1 overall out of 15 storage vendors and was named “Best SAN” for 2008 by the InfoWorld Media Group. Compellent’s senior executives attribute the company’s success to the positively aggressive attitude of employees.

“The Entrepreneur of the Year award has a long history of recognizing business excellence and innovation,” said Mr. Soran. “We congratulate and thank our employees, channel partners and board for helping take Compellent from an idea started in my basement to the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in five short years. We’re honored to be recognized alongside prestigious business leaders and proud to represent the storage and virtualization pioneering spirit that drives our team.”

The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year awards celebrate their 22nd anniversary this year. The program honors entrepreneurs who have demonstrated exceptionality in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.

“Ernst & Young is pleased to honor outstanding business leaders such as Compellent,” said Bill Miller, Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Partner. “Winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year award build leading businesses and contribute a great deal to the communities around them. Their success helps our area grow stronger.”

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, California on November 15, 2008. The awards are the culminating event of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.

Sponsors
Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year awards are pleased to have the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and SAP America as national sponsors.

In the Upper Midwest, sponsors include Faegre & Benson LLP, Clifton Gunderson LLP, and Twin Cities Business as regional sponsors, and Padilla Speer Beardsley, the Business Journal Serving Greater Milwaukee, and Marquette University as local sponsors.

About Compellent
Compellent is a leading provider of enterprise-class network storage solutions that are highly scalable, feature-rich and designed to be easy to use and cost effective. Compellent Technologies' principal offices are located in Eden Prairie, Minn. For more information, please visit: http://www.compellent.com.

About the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards
Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The award makes a difference through the unique way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 135 cities in 50 countries.

About Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 130,000 people are united by our shared values and an unwavering commitment to quality. We make a difference by helping our people, our clients and our wider communities achieve potential. For more information, please visit www.ey.com.

^{[Formatted by B&F staff.]}

Ernst & Young refers to the global organization of member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients.