EY Announces Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2024 Greater Los Angeles Award Finalists

LOS ANGELES, May 3, 2024 – Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced the finalists for the Entrepreneur Of The Year^® 2024 Greater Los Angeles Award. Now in its 38th year, Entrepreneur Of The Year is the preeminent competitive business award for audacious leaders who disrupt markets, revolutionize industries and have a transformational impact on lives. Over the past four decades, the program has recognized the daring entrepreneurs with big ideas and bold actions that reshape our world.

These 27 entrepreneurs were selected as finalists by an independent panel of judges. The candidates were evaluated based on their demonstration of building long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact, among other core contributions and attributes.

“This year's finalists truly represent our vibrant entrepreneurial community in Los Angeles, where innovation thrives among a rich tapestry of cultures and ideas," said Kim Harrington, Entrepreneur Of The Year Greater Los Angeles Program Co-Director.

"Selected by an independent panel of judges, these trailblazers exemplify unwavering dedication to their companies, customers, and communities. We are thrilled to acknowledge their successes," said Bridget Ahern, Entrepreneur Of The Year Greater Los Angeles Program Co-Director.

Entrepreneur Of The Year honors many different types of business leaders for their ingenuity, courage and entrepreneurial spirit. The program celebrates original founders who bootstrapped their business from inception or who raised outside capital to grow their company; transformational CEOs who infused innovation into an existing organization to catapult its trajectory; and multigenerational family business leaders who reimagined a legacy business model to fortify it for the future.

The 2024 Greater Los Angeles finalists are:

Sanford Mann | American Hartford Gold | Los Angeles

AJ Abdallat | Beyond Limits | Glendale

Greg LaVecchia and Mari Llewellyn | Bloom Nutrition | Venice

Dustin Sakr, Michael Sakr, and Omar Sakr | Civil Clothing | Torrance

Jasmin Larian Hekmat | Cult Gaia | Los Angeles

Dave Kopushyan, Arman Oganesyan, Bill Phelps, Gary Rubenyan, and Thomas Rubenyan | Dave’s Hot Chicken | Pasadena

David Yeom | Evite | Glendale

Ben Eachus | Flowspace | Los Angeles

Larry Wu | GigaCloud Technology | El Monte

Daniel Winer | HexClad | Los Angeles

Darren Litt | Hiya Health | Los Angeles

Cameron Funk | InCharge Energy | Santa Monica

Cassandra Thurswell | Kitsch | Los Angeles

Will Ferrell, Larry Freedman, and Bennett Rosenthal | LAFC | Los Angeles

Everett Sands | Lendistry | Los Angeles

Katlyn Gao | LOVB | Hermosa Beach

Alexander Israel | Metropolis | Los Angeles

Parker Morse | My Code | Santa Monica

Gene Sheridan | Navitas Semiconductor | Torrance

Melissa Palmer | OSEA Malibu | Malibu

Jay Ackerman | Reveleer | Glendale

John Keatley and Caleb Morse | Scratch Financial | Pasadena

Amir Mansouri | SprintRay | Los Angeles

Loren Castle | Sweet Loren’s | Los Angeles

Andrew Blackmon | The Black Tux | Gardena

Amy Liu | Tower 28 Beauty | Los Angeles

Matthew Johnson and Nathan Johnson | TruConnect | Los Angeles

Learn more about the finalists at ey.com/us/eoygreaterla.

Regional award winners will be announced on June 13, 2024 during a special celebration at The Beverly Hills Hotel. The winners will then be considered by the National independent panel of judges for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, which will be presented in November at the annual Strategic Growth Forum^®, one of the nation’s most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies.

In addition to Entrepreneur Of The Year, EY US supports other entrepreneurs through the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ program and the EY Entrepreneurs Access Network to help connect women founders and Black and Hispanic/Latino entrepreneurs, respectively, with the resources, network and access needed to unlock their full potential.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards include presenting sponsors PNC Bank, Cresa, Marsh USA, SAP and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. In Greater Los Angeles, sponsors also include Edelman, Cooley, Los Angeles Business Journal, Vaco, ADP, Big Picture, and Rutan & Tucker.

About Entrepreneur Of The Year^®

Founded in 1986, Entrepreneur Of The Year^® has celebrated more than 11,000 ambitious visionaries who are leading successful, dynamic businesses in the US, and it has since expanded to nearly 80 countries and territories globally.

The US program consists of 17 regional programs whose panels of independent judges select the regional award winners every June. Those winners compete for national recognition at the Strategic Growth Forum^® in November where National finalists and award winners are announced. The overall National winner represents the US at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year^® competition. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.

About EY

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Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform and operate.

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