GREEN BAY, Wis. — The engine pre-buy was thrust into the public eye when Don Schneider, president of Schneider National, announced his company would not buy trucks after Oct. 1 for sometime.

Shrewd decisions like this, have earned him the title of one of Wisconsin’s, Ernst and Young Entrepreneurs of the Year. This award honors entrepreneurs who have demonstrated outstanding success in such areas as innovation, performance, and personal commitment to their businesses.

An independent panel of judges comprised of leaders from Wisconsin businesses and academia selected Schneider as the outstanding entrepreneur in the transportation category. Schneider is now eligible to participate in the National Entrepreneur of the Year award program, designed to honor outstanding owners of fast-growing companies in the U.S.

Schneider has guided Schneider National to a spot among Wisconsin’s largest companies. Taking over the helm from his father, who started the business in 1935, Schneider has helped build it into a $2.4 billion, 19,000-employee, international leader in transportation and logistics solutions.

Previous national Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award winners include Steve Case of America Online, Michael Dell of Dell Computer Corporation, Jim McCann of 1-800-Flowers.com, John Bello of Sobe Beverages, Howard Schulze of Best Buy, and Scott Kriens of Juniper Networks.