Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced the finalists for the Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2026 Southeast 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 Southeast program celebrates entrepreneurs from Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. 

An independent panel of judges selected 35 finalists based on their entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, company growth and lasting impact in building long-term value. “Every finalist has a story defined by resilience — building through uncertainty, innovating with purpose and leading with conviction,” said Chevy Arnold, Entrepreneur Of The Year® Southeast Program Co-Director. 

“Today, we want to thank these CEOs and their teams for the extraordinary work it takes to create successful, dynamic businesses that make a lasting impact. Founded in 1986 and now spanning nearly 80 countries and territories, Entrepreneur Of The Year® celebrates a select group of leaders — and being named a Southeast finalist is a powerful moment of recognition. Congratulations to this year’s class,” added Kimberly Kicklighter, Entrepreneur Of The Year® Southeast 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 Southeast finalists are: 

Chris Lemay | Alliance Technical Group, LLC | Decatur, AL

Jose Diego-Arozamena | Arglass, LLC | Valdosta, GA 

Somdutta Singh | Assiduus Global Inc | Atlanta, GA 

David Berkal | Banyan Software | Atlanta, GA 

Puneet Singh | CareBridge Health | Nashville, TN 

David Spratte | Carpe | Durham, NC 

Kasper Kubica | Carpe | Durham, NC 

Michael Malakhov | Carpool Logistics, Inc. | Atlanta, GA 

Jessica Blackburn | Crown Paving, LLC | Greenbrier, TN 

Tyler Traudt | DebtBook | Charlotte, NC 

John Treece | DMA Industries LLC | Tabor City, NC 

Rex Adams | EyeSouth Partners | Atlanta, GA 

Justin Draplin | Fortified Solar LLC | Taylors, SC 

Brian Dally | Groundfloor Finance | Atlanta, GA 

Spencer Baird | Inmar Intelligence | Winston-Salem, NC 

Adam Newsome | Lazer Logistics | Alpharetta, GA 

Tisha Thompson | LYS Beauty | Kennesaw, GA 

Aaron Thomas | Metcon, Inc. | Pembroke, NC 

Michael Uchrin | Monogram Health | Brentwood, TN 

Connor Ryan | NutraSky | Alpharetta, GA 

John Bradford, III. | PetScreening | Mooresville, NC 

Eric Young | Reeves Young | Sugar Hill, GA 

Robin Gregg | RoadSync | Atlanta, GA 

EJ Reed | Slim & Husky's | Nashville, TN 

Derrick Moore | Slim & Husky's | Nashville, TN 

Clinton Gray | Slim & Husky's | Nashville, TN 

Sean Henry | Stord | Atlanta, GA 

Jacob Boudreau | Stord | Atlanta, GA 

Zach Maurides | Teamworks | Durham, NC 

Nicholas Ogden | The Clear Blue Company | Nashville, TN 

Jason Burke | The New Primal | Charleston, SC 

Chau Nguyen | Vintage Modern, Inc | Buford, GA 

William Fogler | WM Events | Hapeville, GA 

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

Regional award winners will be announced live during our awards celebration on June 18. 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®.