EY Announces John D’Angelo, CEO of Investar Bank, as Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2018 Award Winner in the Gulf Coast Area

July 3, 2018

BATON ROUGE, La., July 03, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EY recently announced that John D’Angelo, CEO of Investar Bank, received the Entrepreneur Of The Year^® 2018 Award in the Community Impact category for the Gulf Coast Area. The award recognizes entrepreneurs who are excelling in areas such as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. D’Angelo was selected by an independent panel of judges, and the award was presented at a special gala event on June 14, 2018 (the Bank’s 12th anniversary), at the Marriott Marquis Houston.

“I was humbled just being nominated and completely stunned when my name was called to accept the award,” said John D’Angelo, President and Chief Executive Officer. “There are countless people to thank because building a $1.6 billion bank in just 12 years takes an incredible team. Thank you to my wife, Kathy, for supporting our dream to start this Bank and to our dedicated employees who make it happen across South Louisiana. It is because of our team that we are able to make an impact in the communities we serve,” D’Angelo continued.

Since 1986, EY has honored entrepreneurs whose ingenuity, spirit of innovation and discipline have driven their companies’ success, transformed their industries and made a positive impact on their communities. Now in its 32^nd year, the program has honored the inspirational leadership of such entrepreneurs as:

• Howard Schultz of Starbucks Corporation
• Pierre Omidyar of eBay, Inc.
• Jodi Berg of Vitamix
• Robert Unanue of Goya Foods
• Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn
• Andreas Bechtolsheim and Jayshree Ullal of Arista Networks
• Hamdi Ulukaya of Chobani
• James Park of Fitbit
• J.W. “Bill” Marriott, Jr. of Marriott International, Inc.
• Lonnie Moulder and Mary Lynne Hedley, PhD, of TESARO, Inc.

As a Gulf Coast Area award winner, John D’Angelo is now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018 National Awards. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced at the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards gala in Palm Springs, CA, on Nov. 10, 2018. The awards are the culminating event of the Strategic Growth Forum^®, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.

Sponsors
Founded and produced by EY, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored in the US by SAP America, the Kauffman Foundation and Merrill Corporation. In the Gulf Coast Area, regional sponsors include Colliers International, DLA Piper, ADP, Solomon Edwards, Chatham Financial, Pierpont Communications and Houston Business Journal.

About Investar Bank
Investar Holding Corporation (NASDAQ:ISTR), parent company of wholly-owned subsidiary Investar Bank, had total assets of approximately $1.6 billion as of March 31, 2018. Investar Bank is a full-service community bank headquartered in Baton Rouge, La. offering extensive banking products and services for individuals and businesses for over 10 years. The Bank serves several markets across South Louisiana with 20 branches: the Baton Rouge area (four branches in Baton Rouge, one in Denham Springs, one in Port Allen, one in Gonzales, one in Prairieville, one in Jackson, one in Slaughter, one in St. Francisville & one in Zachary), Hammond, the Acadiana area (one in Lafayette, one in Ville Platte, one in Mamou and one in Pine Prairie) and the New Orleans area (one in Metairie, one in Elmwood and one in Mandeville). Equal Housing Lender. Member FDIC. To learn more, visit www.InvestarBank.com.

About Entrepreneur Of The Year^®
Entrepreneur Of The Year^®, founded by EY, is the world’s most prestigious business awards program for entrepreneurs, chosen from an independent panel of judges including entrepreneurs and prominent leaders from business, finance, and the local community. The 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. As the first and only truly global awards program of its kind, 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 145 cities and more than 60 countries. ey.com/eoy

About EY’s Growth Markets Network
EY’s worldwide Growth Markets Network is dedicated to serving the changing needs of high-growth companies. For more than 30 years, we’ve helped many of the world’s most dynamic and ambitious companies grow into market leaders. Whether working with international mid-cap companies or early stage, venture-backed businesses, our professionals draw upon their extensive experience, insight and global resources to help your business succeed. For more information, please visit us at ey.com/sgm or follow news on Twitter @EY_Growth.

About EY
EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the 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. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

Contact:
Lisa O'Deay
225.227.2330
lisa.odeay@investarbank.com

Source: Investar Holding Corporation