EY US unveils Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2025 Gulf South Award finalists

Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates ambitious entrepreneurs who are shaping the future

Houston, Texas, April 21, 2025 – Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) announced the finalists for the prestigious Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 Gulf South Award. Now in its 40th year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year program celebrates the bold leaders who disrupt markets through the world’s most ground-breaking companies, revolutionizing industries and making a profound impact on communities. The program honors entrepreneurs whose innovations shape the future and pave the way for a thriving economy and a hopeful tomorrow. The Gulf South program celebrates entrepreneurs from Central and South Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

An independent panel of judges selected these finalists for their entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and lasting impact in building long-term value.

"This year's finalists are bold entrepreneurs making a lasting impact in their industries and communities," says Anna Horndahl, Partner and Entrepreneur Of The Year Gulf South Program Co-Director.

"Chosen by an independent panel of judges, these trailblazers show unwavering dedication to their businesses, customers and communities. We’re thrilled to celebrate their success," says Travis Garms, Partner and Entrepreneur Of The Year Gulf South 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 strengthen it for the future.

The 2025 Gulf South finalists are:

• Brandon Webb | 3S Services LLC | Carrizo Springs
• Jeff Cardenas | Apptronik | Austin
• Jesse Edelman | ArchPoint Group | San Antonio
• Balaji Sreenivasan | Aurigo Software Technologies, Inc. | Austin
• Terry Black | Black Family Hospitality | Lockhart
• Donnie Carr | Christian Brothers Automotive | Houston
• Neha Sampat | Contentstack Inc. | Austin
• Dr. Andrea Thomaz | Diligent Robotics | Austin
• Hala Ballouz, PE | Electric Power Engineers, LLC | Austin
• Jonathan Swerdlin | Function Health | Austin
• Jeff Chandler | Hopdoddy Burger Bar | Austin
• Michael Howard | Howard Industries | Laurel, Ms.
• Andy Flanagan | Iris Telehealth | Austin
• Jeff Wilkinson | Keystone Bank | Bee Cave
• Bobby Evans | Liberty Lift Solutions, LLC | Houston
• Jessica Ewing | Literati | Austin
• Asher Kazmann | Locke Solutions, LLC | Houston
• Chip Malt | Made In Cookware | Austin
• Gabriel Rio | Milestone Environmental Services, LLC | Houston
• Rusty Moffitt | Moffitt Services | Cypress
• Rod Larson | Oceaneering International, Inc. | Houston
• Jasen Gast | Oilfield Service Professionals LLC | Houston
• Travis Boone | Orion Group Holdings, Inc. | Houston
• Trent Oglesby | Percheron LLC | Katy
• Tom Dorsett and Dr. Siva Mohan | RazorMetrics | Austin
• PJ Popovic | Rhythm Energy | Houston
• Danielle Wright | Right Choice Development & Construction | Houston
• Bill Bong, P.E. | RRC Companies | Round Rock
• Dr. Lefteris Ntouanoglou | Schoox, LLC | Austin
• Ted Ross | SpyCloud | Austin
• Juan Moreno | STGen | Navasota
• Dave Sisk | Streamline Innovations | San Antonio
• Wayne Wilson | SynergenX | Houston
• Sunil Patel | Tekmetric | Houston
• Jason Hayes | Top Coat Fabrication | Jones Creek
• Kris Jones | Truck and Equipment Repair of Texas | Conroe
• Darryll Dewan | TSS, Inc. | Round Rock
• Jeff Bezner, Will Bradley, Reagan Fincher and Jonathan McKenzie | Turtlebox Audio, LLC | Houston
• Tony Hartl | Undefeated Tribe Operating Company LLC | Austin
• Nathan Ough | VoltaGrid | Houston
• Anthony Bahr | WildFire Energy LLC | Houston
• Wayne Morton | Wind Energy Transmission Texas | Austin

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

Regional award winners will be announced on June 12th during a special celebration. 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.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards include presenting sponsors PNC Bank, Cresa, LLC, Marsh McLennan Agency, and SAP. In the Gulf South, sponsors also include Platinum sponsors ADP, DFIN, DLA Piper and vcfo and Silver sponsors Big Picture and Pierpont Communications.

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 60 countries 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 EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ competition. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.

About EY

EY is building a better working world by creating new value for clients, people, society and the planet, while building trust in capital markets.

Enabled by data, AI and advanced technology, EY teams help clients shape the future with confidence and develop answers for the most pressing issues of today and tomorrow.

EY teams work across a full spectrum of services in assurance, consulting, tax, strategy and transactions. Fueled by sector insights, a globally connected, multi-disciplinary network and diverse ecosystem partners, EY teams can provide services in more than 150 countries and territories.

All in to shape the future with confidence.

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