EY US unveils Entrepreneur Of The Year^® 2025 Pacific Southwest Award finalists

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

Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) announced the finalists for the prestigious Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 Pacific Southwest 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.

An independent panel of judges selected these ambitious entrepreneurs from 42 companies for their entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and lasting impact in building long-term value.

"I'm truly inspired by this year's finalists, who are not just entrepreneurs but visionaries making a significant difference in their industries and communities," says Rachael Marini, Partner and Pacific Southwest – San Diego Program Director. "Selected by a distinguished panel of judges, these individuals demonstrate an incredible commitment to their businesses, their customers, and the communities they serve. I am incredibly proud to be part of the Pacific Southwest business community, and it's an honor to celebrate the achievements of these innovators and the positive impact they are creating."

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 Pacific Southwest finalists are:

Christine Aguilera | Angel MedFlight (AWC-MH Holdings, LLC | Scottsdale, Arizona

Amish Purohit & Jerry Williamson | Arkos Health | Gilbert, Arizona

Sarah Boyce | Avidity Biosciences | San Diego, California

Jeff Benck | Benchmark | Tempe, Arizona

Sean Saint | Beta Bionics Inc | Irvine, California

Robert Maguire & Jaime Leija | BioLab Holdings Inc | Mesa, Arizona

Rich Yang | Biolinq Incorporated | San Diego, California

Jake Brander | Brander Group Inc | Scottsdale, Arizona

David Zhao | Chubby Group | Las Vegas, Nevada

David Jemmett | CISO Global Inc | Scottsdale, Arizona

Bryan Appio | DryWater | Newport Beach, California

Puneet Nanda | Gurunanda LLC | Buena Park, California

Troy Wilson | Kura Oncology | San Diego, California

Cat Caruso | LaborLawCenter | Santa Ana, California

Michael Malone | Lumifi | Scottsdale, Arizona

Don Freeman | Medical Device Components LLC | San Diego, California

Prasanna Parthasarathy | Medvantx | San Diego, California

Marcin Malyszko & Amit Singh | Mission Craft Cocktails | Coto De Caza, California

Dave Johnson | Mist America | Scottsdale, Arizona

Craig Cote | Mountainside Fitness | Scottsdale, Arizona

Kent Yoshimura & Ryan Chen | Neuro Inc | Las Vegas, Nevada

Tiago Carneiro | Novo Brazil Brewing Co | Chula Vista, California

Greg Ayres | Nox Group LLC | Phoenix, Arizona

Shannon Heying | Nutritional Manufacturing Services LLC | Chandler, Arizona

Vinnie Curcie | OC Solar | Irvine, California

Ben Garland | On Site Medical | Scottsdale, Arizona

Matt Renault | Ram Construction | Irvine, California

Michael Popovich | STChealth | Phoenix, Arizona

Derek Wright | Suntec Concrete | Phoenix, Arizona

Bobby Azamian | Tarsus Pharmaceuticals | Irvine, California

Sheryl Palmer | Taylor Morrison | Scottsdale, Arizona

Josh Young | Tempe Mechanical | Tempe, Arizona

Lance Watkins | Tenant Inc | Newport Beach, California

Curtis Edenfield | Thrive Aviation | Henderson, Nevada

Yoshi Maruyama | TOCA Football Inc | Costa Mesa, California

Morgan Haynes | Tribal Health | Scottsdale, Arizona

Jay Srinivasan | Truvian Sciences Inc | San Diego, California

Keith Simon | Waev Inc | Anaheim, California

Scott McDonald | Wallcor | Gilbert, Arizona

Anthony Lee | Westcliff University | Irvine, California

Jordan Glazier | Wildfire Systems Inc | Solana Beach, California

Mandy Fry | Z Supply | Costa Mesa, California

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

Regional award winners will be announced on June 6, 2025 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 Pacific Southwest, sponsors also include Platinum sponsor: Vaco; Gold sponsors: Cooley (San Diego market) and Stradling (Orange County market) and Silver sponsors: ADP and Big Picture.

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

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