Press release
11 Jun 2026 

EY US announces winners for the Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2026 Greater Philadelphia Award

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Celebrating the bold leaders shaping the future through the world’s most groundbreaking companies

PHILADELPHIA, PA, JUNE 11 – Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) proudly announces the winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2026 Greater Philadelphia Award, honoring visionary leaders of high-growth companies driving innovation, growth and prosperity for future generations. For more than four decades, EY US has celebrated ambitious entrepreneurs who are transforming industries, impacting communities and creating long-term value.

Regional winners were selected by an independent panel of past winners, top CEOs and business leaders. Judges evaluated candidates on long-term value creation, entrepreneurial spirit, purpose-driven commitment, and significant growth and impact.

“Please join us in celebrating the 11 Entrepreneur Of The Year Greater Philadelphia Award winners, whose leadership continues to drive innovation, growth and meaningful impact across the state,” said Mike Nichols, Entrepreneur Of The Year® Greater Philadelphia Program Co-Director. “This recognition honors years of dedication, bold decisions and a deep commitment to creating value for employees, customers and the communities they serve. We are proud to recognize this remarkable group of entrepreneurs and the example they set for others” said Mike Nichols, Entrepreneur Of The Year® Greater Philadelphia Program Co-Director.

“Behind every entrepreneurial success story is an incredible amount of hard work, determination and belief in what’s possible,” added Andrew Coll, Entrepreneur Of The Year® Greater Philadelphia Program Co-Director. “We’re honored to celebrate the 11 Entrepreneur Of The Year Greater Philadelphia Award winners for their transformational leadership, business achievements and lasting community impact. Congratulations to each of these outstanding leaders on this exciting and well-earned recognition.”

The Entrepreneur Of The Year program honors many different types of business leaders for their ingenuity, courage and entrepreneurial spirit. It 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 Entrepreneur Of The Year 2026 Greater Philadelphia Award winners are:

  • William Santora Sr. | A & E Construction Co.
  • Steven R. Smith | AccuWeather
  • Dixon Gillis | A-G Specialty Insurance
  • Gregory Constantine | AIRCO
  • Jessica Sturzenegger | Amara
  • Karen Norheim | American Crane & Equipment Corporation
  • Tod Eskra | American Student Transportation Partners, Inc.
  • Chad Janis | Grüns
  • Jeffrey M. Dayno, MD | Harmony Biosciences
  • Mike Petrakis | PowerPay
  • Andrew Semprevivo | Seakeeper

These regional award winners will now move on to be considered for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, set to 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 National Overall Award winner will move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award in May 2027.

Entrepreneur Of The Year Award winners become lifetime members of a global, multi-industry community of entrepreneurs. They receive exclusive, ongoing access to the experience, insight and wisdom of program alumni and other ecosystem members in more than 60 countries — all supported by vast EY resources.

Learn more about the winners at ey.com/en_us/entrepreneur-of-the-year-us/regional-programs

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards include presenting sponsors PNC Bank, Cresa, LLC, Marsh Risk, SAP and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. In Greater Philadelphia, sponsors also include ADP, DLA Piper, and 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 60 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 EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ competition. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.

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