Press release
27 Apr 2023  | Washington, DC, DC, US

EY Announces Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2023 Mid-Atlantic Finalists

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Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates ambitious entrepreneurs who are building bolder futures

Washington, D.C., April 27, 2023 – Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced the finalists for the Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2023 Mid-Atlantic Award. The Mid-Atlantic program celebrates entrepreneurs from Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Now in its 37th year, Entrepreneur Of The Year is one of the preeminent competitive business awards for transformative entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies who are building a more equitable, sustainable and prosperous world for all.

These 33 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.

The 2023 Mid-Atlantic finalists are:

Bryan Myers | [solidcore] | Washington, District of Columbia

Mike Radu | AbsoluteCare | Columbia, Maryland

Greg Gershman and Paul Smith | Ad Hoc LLC | Washington, District of Columbia

Rachele Cooper | Aptive Resources | Alexandria, Virginia

Rami Elghandour | Arcellx | Gaithersburg, Maryland

You Mon Tsang | ChurnZero | Washington, District of Columbia

David Wellisch | Collage Group, LLC | Bethesda, Maryland

Felipe Hasselmann | Cuisine Solutions | Sterling, Virginia

Pete Meeks | Delaware Elevator, Inc. | Salisbury, Maryland

Yanek Korff, Dave Merkel and Justin Bajko | Expel | Herndon, Virginia

Tim Hwang | FiscalNote | Washington, District of Columbia

Watt Foster | Foster Fuels, Inc | Brookneal, Virginia

Gabby Wong | FranConnect | Herndon, Virginia

FX Rouxel | Gardyn Inc | Bethesda, Maryland

Matt Malone | Groundworks | Virginia Beach, Virginia

Ricky Spiro | Hilb Group | Richmond, Virginia

Prashant Agrawal | Impact Analytics Inc. | Linthicum Heights, Maryland

Ian Northrop | JHNA | Alexandria, Virginia

Joye B. Moore | JOYEBELLS LLC | Richmond, Virginia

Ayeshah Abuelhiga | MDBC LLC dba Mason Dixie Foods | Baltimore, Maryland

Helen Stefan Moreau | Midtown Personnel, Inc. | Washington, District of Columbia

Paige Wilson | Naborforce | Richmond, Virginia

Denita Conway | PROVEN Management, LLC | Washington, District of Columbia

Mohammad Elias | RELI Group Inc. | Catonsville, Maryland

Naveen Krishnamurthy | RIVA Solutions, Inc. | McLean, Virginia

Ed Sealing | Sealing Technologies, Inc. | Columbia, Maryland

Todd Walrath | ShiftMed | McLean, Virginia

Josh Jerge | Smartroof LLC | Reston, Maryland

Bin Chen | Stori | Arlington, Virginia

Chris Owen | Turn2Partners | Herndon, Virginia

Regional award winners will be announced on Thursday, June 22 during a special celebration. The winners will then be considered by the National 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. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year® Award in June 2024. 

The Entrepreneur Of The Year program has recognized more than 11,000 entrepreneurs throughout the US since its inception in 1986, and it has grown to recognize business leaders across 145 cities in over 60 countries around the world.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards include presenting sponsors PNC Bank, N.A.; SAP America; and the Kauffman Foundation. In Mid-Atlantic, sponsors also include Cresa Global, Inc., Cooley LLP, DLA Piper, LLP, ADP, and Kelly Benefits Strategies.

About Entrepreneur Of The Year®

Entrepreneur Of The Year® is the world’s most prestigious business awards program for unstoppable entrepreneurs. These visionary leaders deliver innovation, growth and prosperity that transform our world. The program engages entrepreneurs with insights and experiences that foster growth. It connects them with their peers to strengthen entrepreneurship around the world. Entrepreneur Of The Year is the first and only truly global awards program of its kind. It celebrates entrepreneurs through regional and national awards programs in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries. National Overall Award winners go on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year® title. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.

About EY Private

As Advisors to the ambitious™, EY Private professionals possess the experience and passion to support private businesses and their owners in unlocking the full potential of their ambitions. EY Private teams offer distinct insights born from the long EY history of working with business owners and entrepreneurs. These teams support the full spectrum of private enterprises including private capital managers and investors and the portfolio businesses they fund, business owners, family businesses, family offices and entrepreneurs. Visit ey.com/us/private.

About EY

EY exists to build a better working world, helping create long-term value for clients, people and society and build trust in the capital markets.

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

Working across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax and transactions, EY teams ask better questions to find new answers for the complex issues facing our world today.

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