Christopher Reade Named ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’
BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana chapter of Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO) awarded Louisiana-based tech entrepreneur Christopher Reade the 2023 Marshall Klein Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
“Chris possesses the qualities entrepreneurs strive for every day,” said Jeffrey Doussan, EO president, in a press release. “His professional and personal ambition has created one of the most enduring technology businesses in south Louisiana. His respect for individuals of all backgrounds led Chris to create the Ada Lovelace Awards, honoring the contributions of exceptional women in technology.”
Reade began his first funded company in 1995 in downtown Manhattan using software he created to provide outsourced email services. Since relocating to New Orleans in 2000, the company, now called Carrollton Group, has more than 150 employees, split up into sister companies.
His work with Carrollton Enterprise Services focuses on disaster recovery work, finance, insurance, and healthcare operations in Louisiana and across the nation.
Reade also serves as a senior technical advisor for several startups. He has contributed to the judging of many startup and business plan competitions including Start-up weekend, the TechCrunch Pitch and Tulane’s Business Model competition. Recently, he was a coach for Loyola University’s Lean Startup program and helped create the school’s certificate in software development.
Reade is a past president of EO of Louisiana, a member of the state’s Innovation Council, a past president of the Young Leadership Council of New Orleans, a board member of the Metropolitan Crime Commission and a Board member of GNO Inc. He is also an advisor to Nola Tech Week and New Orleans Entrepreneur Week.
The EO Louisiana Entrepreneur of the Year Award began in 2006 in honor of Marshall Klein, who was president and CEO of Mandeville-based iBusiness.com. Klein died from acute liver failure in 2004.
