Ernst & Young unveils entrepreneur finalists

Ernst & Young made executives with Design Within Reach Inc., Fitlinxx, and Viridian Energy among dozens of finalists for its annual “Entrepreneur of the Year” award covering the New York and New England regions.

The upscale furniture retailer Design With Reach Inc. relocated to Stamford in 2010 from San Francisco. Ernst & Young recognized CEO John Edelman and John McGee, its chief operating officer, with the two men eligible for Ernst & Young”™s New York region.

Also a finalist in New York was Michael Fallquist, CEO of Norwalk-based Viridian Energy, which sells electricity there, in Connecticut and four other states. Viridian enters the Massachusetts market on June 1.

In New England, Ernst & Young chose as a finalist Fitlinxx CEO Dave Monahan, who joined the company as a vice president in 2006, having previously worked for Microsoft Corp; and was promoted to CEO in 2008. Shelton-based Fitlinxx runs systems to monitor the wellness of employees, among others including an “ActiPed” device that estimates how long a person engages in physical activity and the amount of calories they burn. The company”™s backers include Ironwood Capital, which has an Avon office.

Also nominated in New England was Paul English, the Concord, Mass.-based chief technology officer of Kayak Software Corp., which has its headquarters in Norwalk under Steve Hafner.