“Entrepreneur of the Year” Award Presented to Three Ogletree Deakins Founding Shareholders by Greenville Tech Foundation

GREENVILLE , SC – September 17, 2009 – Homer Deakins, Lewis Smoak and Jimmie Stewart, three founding shareholders of Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. (Ogletree Deakins), the nation’s third-largest labor and employment law firm, will be honored with the “Entrepreneur of the Year” award presented by the Greenville Tech Foundation’s Entrepreneur Forum, in Greenville, South Carolina, at its annual gala on Thursday, September 17.

Through its “Entrepreneur of the Year” award, the Entrepreneur Forum annually recognizes individuals who have contributed significantly to the prosperity of upstate South Carolina through their entrepreneurial activities, business leadership, and involvement in the community. Until this year, only one founder of each “Entrepreneur of the Year” winning organization was recognized. In 2009, for the first time, the Entrepreneur Forum decided  to recognize the three Ogletree Deakins founding shareholders jointly, acknowledging each of the attorney’s invaluable contributions to the local community.

A Brief History of the Award-Winning Organization, Ogletree Deakins

Ogletree Deakins was founded in 1977 as a small labor and employment law firm representing management in Greenville, South Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia.  Frank Ogletree (who died in 1985) and the three recipients of this year’s recognition founded the firm with just 16 attorneys and a handful of support staff. Today, the firm has grown to 35 offices across the nation, with over 450 attorneys, and more than 900 employees total. The firm’s administrative offices are in Greenville, where there are more than 150 employees, including over 40 lawyers.

In addition to handling labor and employment law matters, the firm has thriving practices focused on business litigation, business immigration, employee benefits, and workplace safety and health law.  Ogletree Deakins represents a diverse range of clients, including more than half of the Fortune 50 corporations in the U.S.   For more information, please contact Ryan King, public relations manager, at (404) 870-1742.