EY US unveils Entrepreneur Of The Year^® 2026 Mid-Atlantic Award finalists

Recognizing ambitious leaders who are shaping the future of their industries

Washington, D.C., Tuesday, April 21– Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) announced the finalists for the Entrepreneur Of The Year^® 2026 Mid-Atlantic Award. Now in its 41st 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 uplifting communities. The program honors entrepreneurs whose innovations drive economic growth and help shape the future of business. The Mid-Atlantic program celebrates entrepreneurs from Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

An independent panel of judges selected 36 finalists from 34 companies based on their entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, company growth and lasting impact in building long-term value.

“This year’s finalists are bold entrepreneurs making a lasting mark on their industries and communities across the Mid-Atlantic region,” said Steve Canaras, Entrepreneur Of The Year^® Mid-Atlantic Program Co-Director.

“Chosen by an independent panel of judges, their companies are creating jobs, accelerating innovation and strengthening the regional business community. We’re thrilled to celebrate their success,” said Lisa Kelly, Entrepreneur Of The Year^® Mid-Atlantic 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 2026 Mid-Atlantic finalists are:

• Wahid Nawabi | AeroVironment | Arlington, VA
• Larry Katzman | AIS | Reston, VA
• Kevin Switick | Avian Holdings | Lexington Park, MD
• Bert Ortiz | AVMAC | Chesapeake, VA
• Jonathan Evans | Bart & Associates | McLean, VA
• Nick McCarter | Chartis Federal | Leesburg, VA
• Husein Sharaf | Cloudforce | National Harbor, MD
• Jeremiah Watts | D|Watts Construction | Alexandria, VA
• Hemant Virkar | Digital Infuzion | Rockville, MD
• Tony Stafford | Ford's Fish Shack | Sterling, VA
• Tim McLaughlin | GoTab | Arlington, VA
• Melissa Drew | InSite BUILD |Salisbury, MD
• Mark Jacobsen | IntraFi | Arlington, VA
• Frank Antezana | iTech AG | Arlington, VA
• Pinakin Patel | Kentro | McLean, VA
• David Blair | LucyRx | Bethesda, MD
• Neal Piper | Luminoah | Charlottesville, VA
• Bo Davis | MarginEdge | Arlington, VA
• Dave Kaspary Jr. | MidPoint Technology Group | Columbia, MD
• Hannah Pollack and Xavier Meers | Nightingale Ice Cream | Chesterfield, VA
• Rebekah Johnson | Numeracle | McLean, VA
• Mohamed Hussein | Piedmont Global | Arlington, VA
• Daniel Coleman | Principle Choice Solutions | Woodbridge, VA
• Amir Hudda | Qu | Arlington, VA
• Travis Howerton | Regscale | Tysons Corner, VA
• Paul Carlson and Tom Fautrel | Seventy2 Capital Wealth Management | Bethesda, MD
• Matt Brown | ShorePoint | Herndon, VA
• Tony Brusco | South Mountain Creamery | Middletown, MD
• Steve Raeder | Summit Ridge Energy | Arlington, VA
• Craig Dixon | The St. James | Springfield, VA
• Jocelyn Gailliot | Tuckernuck | Washington, D.C.
• Dr. Josh Langston | Urology of Virginia | Virginia Beach, VA
• Gil Grattan | Virginia Green | Richmond, VA
• Edwin Villegas | Winmar Construction | Reston, VA

Learn more about the finalists at ey.com/us/eoy/midatlantic.

Regional award winners will be announced on June 18 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^®.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year^® Awards include presenting sponsors PNC Bank, Cresa, LLC, Marsh USA, SAP and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. In the Mid-Atlantic, sponsors also include regional platinum sponsor ADP, regional gold sponsors Cooley and DLA Piper, and regional silver sponsor Stagedge.

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 national overall winner represents the US at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year^® competition. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.

About EY

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All in to shape the future with confidence.

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