(KAIR)--Special honors for the leadership of Atchison-based MGP Ingredients.

That comes as global investment firm EY unveils it's annual Entrepreneur of the Year Heartland Program award recipients.

According to BusinessWire, the award has been presented for more than three-decades, and recognizes business leaders in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries throughout the world.

Among those named as recipients were Gus Griffin, Cloud “Bud” Cray, Jr., and Karen Seaberg.

Griffin serves as President and CEO of MGP Ingredients, while Cray is the Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Directors. Seaberg, Cray's daughter, is Chairman of the Board.

In a weekend Facebook post, Seaberg said all three are “humbled to have been chosen for this honor,” and commends what she calls “the wonderful team that Gus Griffin has put together to make MGP successful again.”

The Entrepreneur of the Year award is called “the world's most prestigious business awards program for entrepreneurs, chosen from an independent panel of judges, including entrepreneurs and prominent leaders from business, finance, and the local community.”

The award recipients were announced Thursday in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Regional award winners are now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards.

Award winners in several national categories, as well as the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced at the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards gala in Palm Springs, California, on November 10.