Premier Eye Care’s Lorna Taylor named state finalist for EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award
TAMPA, Fla. (May 23, 2017) – Lorna Taylor, CEO of Premier Eye Care, has been named a finalist for EY’s Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2017 Award in Florida. The awards program recognizes innovation and exceptional performance by entrepreneurs.
Under Taylor’s leadership, Premier Eye Care has excelled in providing quality service to its health plan partners, while creating an atmosphere where team members can thrive and grow. That combination of success is reflected by the fact that Premier has been ranked for five consecutive years as one of the Best Companies to Work by Florida Trend magazine, one of the state’s fastest-growing companies for the past two years by the Florida Business Journals, and one of the 75 Best Places to Work for Millennials in the nation by the Center for Generational Kinetics.
Successfully navigating the dramatic changes in the healthcare industry, Taylor has dedicated herself to investing in the company’s leadership and expanding Premier’s services on a national scale. Her vision has led the company to establish operations in seven states while tripling its revenue in the 2012-2016 timeframe. Since its inception, Taylor has managed Premier with a focus on the “triple bottom line,” embracing the values of “people, planet and profit.”
Premier manages full-risk medical and routine ophthalmic care for over 4 million people and is known for its emphasis on technology and corporate culture. Taylor promotes associate engagement through an organizational model that encourages innovation and self-direction to her staff members, half of whom are millennials. With commitments such as paying a living wage for entry-level employees and recruiting the best talent, Premier has a 4 percent turnover rate – significantly lower than the 21 percent industry average. In fact, Premier’s millennial employees are finding long-term career growth with the company, since many have worked there for over 10 years.
Taylor was the winner in the Health & Wellness category of the 2013 Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Business Woman of the Year awards, while also receiving Angie’s Award, given to the finalist who best exemplifies commitment to community service.
A past chair of The Spring of Tampa Bay, Taylor was honored with the organization’s Angel Award, and was named a Woman of Distinction by the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida in 2013. In 2014, she received the Light of Sight Award from the Lion’s Eye Institute Foundation, and the Jan Roberts Sustainability Leadership Award from the Sustainable Business Coalition of Tampa Bay. The Business Observer named her as one of 2015’s top entrepreneurs of the year.
Taylor also serves on the Board of Trustees for The Dalí Museum, and on the Board of Directors for Moffitt Cancer Center, Preserve Vision Florida, Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence Foundation, and Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture and the Arts. She also serves on the University of Tampa Board of Trustees.
Founded by EY (formerly Ernst & Young), the Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2017 Award celebrates 31 years of recognizing exceptional business leaders.
