EY US announces winners for the Entrepreneur Of The Year^® 2026 Southeast Award

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

Charlotte, NC, June 19, 2026 – Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) proudly announces the winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year^® 2026 Southeast Award, honoring visionary leaders of high-growth companies driving innovation, growth and prosperity for future generations. The Southeast program celebrates entrepreneurs from Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee . 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.

“The Entrepreneur Of The Year 2026 Southeast Award winners are reshaping their industries and redefining what it means to lead as entrepreneurs,” said Chevy Arnold, Southeast Program Director.

“Through their vision, focus and commitment to growth, they are building companies that move markets forward, create opportunities for their teams and strengthen the communities around them,” added Kimberly Kicklighter, Southeast Program Director.

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 Southeast Award winners are:

• Chip Russell | Amwaste | Forsyth, GA
• Somdutta Singh | Assiduus Global Inc | Atlanta, GA
• David Spratte & Kasper Kubica | Carpe | Durham, NC
• Cody Campbell | Community Concierge Services, LLC | Charlotte, NC
• Spencer Baird | Inmar Intelligence | Winston-Salem, NC
• Tisha Thompson | LYS Beauty | Kennesaw, GA
• Aaron Thomas | Metcon, Inc. | Pembroke, NC
• EJ Reed, Derrick Moore & Clinton Gray, III | Slim & Husky's | Nashville, TN
• Sean Henry & Jacob Boudreau | Stord | Atlanta, GA
• Zach Maurides | Teamworks | Durham, NC
• Nicholas Ogden | The Clear Blue Company | Nashville, TN
• Chau Nguyen | Vintage Modern, Inc | Buford, GA

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 the Southeast, sponsors also include regional Platinum sponsor VACO LLC, regional Gold sponsors ADP and King & Spalding LLP, and regional Silver sponsor Babbit Bodner, Inc.

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.

EY | Building a better working world

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.

EY refers to the global organization and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law, where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.