Aspen News - Elliot Sainer Earns 2004 Entrepreneurial Leadership Award from Education Industry Association

Aspen Education Group’s Elliot Sainer Earns 2004 Entrepreneurial Leadership Award from Education Industry Association

09/09/2004

( CERRITOS , CA – September 9, 2004 ) — Elliot Sainer, co-founder and chief executive officer of Aspen Education Group in Cerritos , California , has been named the recipient of the 2004 James P. Boyle Entrepreneurial Leadership Award by the Education Industry Association (EIA). Sainer was recognized for his vision and leadership in establishing one of the nation’s largest and most respected education organizations devoted to providing educational opportunities that improve the lives of under-achieving children, teenagers and young adults. The award was presented at the EIA’s 2004 conference held recently in Chicago .

"The James P. Boyle Entrepreneurial Leadership Award seeks to recognize individuals of our organization who have been responsible for founding and establishing successful educational organizations that serve students or teachers," said Steve Pines, executive director of EIA. "Elliot Sainer has devoted many years to the educational and therapeutic needs of troubled and under-achieving teens and adolescents and has grown Aspen tenfold over the past decade. His contributions show a true commitment to the industry and to families across the country who have struggled with under-achieving youths."

Sainer has been in the behavioral healthcare and education fields for over 25 years. Prior to co-founding Aspen Education Group, he held several executive-level positions with healthcare and behavioral health organizations across the country.

In 1989 Sainer joined College Health Enterprises where he helped launch a youth services division devoted to under-achieving youths. As new programs were opened and began to serve a growing national client base, Sainer helped to create Aspen Education Group, h eadquartered in Cerritos , and completed a recapitalization of the company in 1998. Today, Aspen Education Group has over 1,200 employees and owns and operates 28 residential and outdoor programs in 11 states. Among these programs, parents can choose from a variety of therapeutic and academic environments, including boarding schools, outdoor experiential education programs, and residential weight-loss academies and summer camps.

In 2003 Aspen Education Group assisted more than 10,000 clients and was ranked among the top 50 fastest-growing companies in the Los Angeles area by the Los Angeles Business Journal. In both 2002 and 2003 the company was named among the top 100 education companies by Eduventures, a leading independent research firm dedicated to learning markets.

Through the years Sainer has been recognized as a business and industry leader. He was honored as a finalist in the Entrepreneur of the Year award for the Greater Los Angeles area in both 2001 and 2002, and in 1997 he was named one of the 100 most influential healthcare leaders in California . Sainer currently serves on the board of councilors of the School of Education at the University of Southern California , the board of directors of the Education Industry Association and is the former chairman of the Youth Services Committee of the National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems. He received his M.B.A. degree from George Washington University and his B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh .

The EIA is the leading professional association for private providers of education services, suppliers and other private organizations who are stakeholders in education. Its more than 800 corporate and individual members represent the collective strengths and contributions of the multi-faceted education industry.

For more information on Aspen Education Group, visit www.aspeneducation.com or call (888) 972-7736. To find out more about EIA, visit www.EducationIndustry.org or call 301-947-3971.