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Global LT Owner, Others Named Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist

Hortensia Albertini, president and owner of Troy-based Global LT, has been named a finalist in the 2011 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Michigan and Northwest Ohio region. So were a number of other Michigan tech company founders.

Albertini, a Cuban native and self taught language teacher, founded Global LT, formerly known as Langua Tutor, in 1979 with just a typewriter and an old filing cabinet.

Global LT is recognized as a minority owned business by the NMBDC and a woman owned business by the WBENC. Over the last 32 years, Global LT has expanded its business to offer language, translation, cultural training and expatriate destination services to corporations worldwide. She has expanded her living room start-up to a global powerhouse with offices in the United States, London, Hong Kong and Frankfurt.

"I hold back tears, as this is such an honor for me. I have been so blessed in my journey," Albertini said. "I have worked with amazing people and clients. Who would have known Global LT would grow to be such an amazing company? I did, it was my passion, my love, my life! This honor tells me that the American Dream can be attained and recognized, and I can't thank everyone who supported me in this journey. Being nominated as a Finalist by E&Y is another privilege I will hold dear to me."

Albertini is among a group of outstanding entrepreneurs selected by an independent judging panel made up of previous winners of the award, leading CEOs, private capital investors and other regional business leaders. Winners will be revealed at a gala June 9 at the MGM Grand Casino in Detroit.

Other tech industry finalists include Dan Behm of Open Systems Technologies in Grand Rapids, Fred Calero of EnovateIT in Canton Township, Carl Erickson of Atomic Object in Grand Rapids, Larry Freed of ForeSee Results in Ann Arbor, Daniel Gizaw of Danotek Motion Technologies in Canton township, Paul Glantz of Emagine Entertainment in Troy, Donald Hicks of Llamasoft in Ann Arbor, John Swang of Mutually Human Software in Grand Rapids, Joel Mueller of MacUpdate in Kalamazoo, Michael Nevins of Full Spectrum Solutions in Jackson, Jeffery Prough of Critical Signal Technologies in Farmington Hills, Jake Sigal of Livio Radio, Rich Stanbaugh of ANX in Southfield, Mark Symonds of Plex Systems Inc. in Auburn Hills, Vince Thomas of Billhighway in Troy, and Joanne Ulnick of Ducker Worldwide in Troy.

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