Austin, Texas – Surveying And Mapping, Inc. (SAM, Inc.), a provider of geospatial data solutions, announced that Samir "Sam" G. Hanna, RPLS, founder and president of the firm, has been named as a winner of the prestigious Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for 2012. Hanna, who had previously been named as a finalist in the Central Texas region, was announced as a winner on June 7. The award was presented at a gala event held at the downtown Hilton Hotel in Austin, Texas.

The awards program is conducted annually by Ernst and Young to recognize business leaders who've demonstrated exceptional success in building their companies. The focus of the awards is on entrepreneurial achievement in starting new companies, opening new markets and adding to job growth. The award cycle begins with regional winners, and then advances to the national and international levels. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the overall Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year National Award winner, will be announced at their national awards event later this fall.

Hanna attributed much of this success to his team, saying "This achievement was made possible by bringing together the best people, working with the best tools and technology in our industry, and staying focused on quality and customer service".

This award is another in a series of recent high-profile successes by the firm. In April 2012, SAM, Inc. received a national Honor Award in Engineering Excellence from the American Council of Engineering Companies, and was also recognized by Engineering News Record (ENR) magazine as one of the top engineering design firms in the nation, debuting on their annual Top 500 List with a ranking of 146.