The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) is proud to celebrate one of our own — Karen Ezell — who has been named a 2025 Southwest finalist for the prestigious EY Entrepreneur of the Year® Award. Selected from among hundreds of applicants across the region, Karen’s entrepreneurial journey is a great example of resilience, innovation, and the power of purpose-driven leadership.
Karen is the Owner of Event Supplies & Services Inc. (ESS), a company that provides critical staffing and support for merchandise operations at over 30 venues across the United States. ESS acts as a vital liaison between performance venues and event merchandise companies, ensuring a seamless experience from inventory coordination to final settlements. Their mission? To “amplify fun” — and they do just that, managing thousands of gig workers each year and making every event feel like magic.
But Karen’s entrepreneurial path didn’t start with ESS. For years, she served as the NFTE North Texas Regional Director, championing young entrepreneurs and instilling in them the very values she would one day lean on herself. ESS was originally the brainchild of Karen’s late husband, Glenn Ezell — a beloved figure known for his charisma, kindness, and ability to light up every room. Karen supported Glenn’s dream from behind the scenes while leading NFTE programs during the day.
When Glenn passed away suddenly, Karen faced not only the grief of losing her partner, but the daunting task of stepping into his entrepreneurial shoes. With courage and tenacity, she transformed ESS from a passion project into a thriving business. Drawing on the same business acumen and startup principles she championed at NFTE, Karen implemented systems, digitized operations, and scaled the company to new heights.
Today, ESS has three full-time employees and a dynamic team of over 1,000 event-based workers. Karen leads with the values NFTE holds dear — mentoring her team, cultivating a positive work culture, and building a business that prioritizes both excellence and joy. “People always ask me how I get so many people to work for us,” Karen says. “And I always say the same thing — it’s fun!”
Her commitment to fun, community, and excellence hasn’t gone unnoticed. On June 21, 2025, Karen will attend the EY Southwest Entrepreneur of the Year Gala in Dallas as a finalist — and she won’t be alone. Joining her is NFTE alumna Valery Perez-Guerrero, who won the EY Youth Entrepreneur of the Year Scholarship in 2016. Today, Valery is a Senior Business Advisor at EY, returning to the gala not just as a guest, but as a testament to the full-circle power of the NFTE community.
Karen’s journey embodies the very essence of what NFTE stands for: resilience, lifelong learning, and the belief that entrepreneurship can empower anyone to rise, even in the face of unimaginable challenges.
Congratulations, Karen — and thank you for continuing to inspire our community!