At an awards ceremony in mid November 2012, Maryland Entrepreneur Quarterly named Murthy Law Firm founder and president Sheela Murthy the 2012 Maryland Business Entrepreneur of the Year. The news publication, founded by the Business Monthly and the Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship, has a target audience that includes the movers and shakers of Maryland's vibrant entrepreneurial sector.

Entrepreneur is a title Murthy wears proudly. After all, entrepreneurs are visionaries - bold individuals with the perseverance to turn their dreams into reality - into jobs and economic growth. Entrepreneurs see opportunities others either miss or find daunting. They take calculated risks and establish companies that innovate.

Under her leadership, the Murthy Law Firm combines professional excellence with a commitment to philanthropy. In a letter recommending Murthy for the award, Maryland Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Kathy Snyder, wrote, "There is no better example of what entrepreneurism with a heart means than Sheela Murthy." Not only does Ms. Murthy run a highly-successful law firm, with more than 80 employees in Owings Mills, Maryland, and 20 more in India; she also devotes her time and money to philanthropic ventures that empower women, children, and immigrants, here and overseas.

Sheela is honored to be called Maryland's top business entrepreneur - to be front and center among the creative people who are building the state's economic future. It is vindication of her long-held conviction that doing well and doing good go hand in hand!