Ernst & Young LLP announced the finalists for the prestigious Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 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 52 finalists, representing 42 companies, for their entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and lasting impact in building long-term value
“This year’s finalists are bold entrepreneurs making a lasting impact in their industries and communities,” says Rex Alexander, Partner and Southwest Program Director at EY. “Chosen by an independent panel of judges, these trailblazers show unwavering dedication to their businesses, customers and communities. We’re thrilled to celebrate their success.”
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 Southwest finalists are:
Gordon Huddleston | Aethon Energy Management LLC | Dallas
Dr. Karthik Koduru | Archer Review | Dallas
P.J. Brady, David Cartwright and Brad Hannagan | ATCAP Partners | Dallas
Josh Ernst | Backflip | Dallas
Shilpa Abbitt | Caliber Resource Partners | Oklahoma City
Ray Waddell | CEC Companies | Irving
John Hanighen | Cloyes Manufacturing | Fort Smith, Ar.
Andre Angel | Curis Functional Health | Addison
Kyle Gordon and Maggie Gordon | Dillas Quesadillas | Dallas
Dani Ramirez and Jordan Ramirez | Divi | Dallas
David Iliff | DuraServ LLC | Carrollton
James Showalter | EG4 Electronics, LLC. | Sulphur Springs
Tony Capucille | EightTwenty | Oklahoma City
Karen Ezell | Event Supplies & Services Inc. | Plano
Drake Gordon | Executive Exteriors | Dallas
Will Edwards | Firehawk Aerospace | Addison
Aaron Smith and Callie Turk | Flexcare Infusion Centers | Oklahoma City
Kyle Noonan and Josh Sepkowitz | FreeRange Concepts, LLC | Dallas
Kevin Keller and Allen Shafer | Fulton & Roark | Dallas
Curtis Hite | Improving | Plano
Kristin Rogers | IQ Supply Solutions | Carrollton
Dan Amiga and Mike Fey | Island.io | Coppell
Eric Fortenberry | JobTread Software, LLC | Dallas
John Humphrey | JULY Business Services | Waco
Sara Shenkan-Rich | Just Right Reader, Inc. | Irving
Steve Little, Keith Post and Jayne Williams | KPost Company | Dallas
Garrett Reed | Layne’s Chicken Fingers | Frisco
Tom Currier | Maverick Power | McKinney
Ethan Ellenberg | Moonshot | Denton
Brett Davis | National Indoor RV Centers | Lewisville
Beverly Coghlan | Neighborhood Management, Inc. | Allen
Rachel Sanchez | Prestige Maintenance USA | Plano
Pradeep Govindasamy | QualiZeal Inc | Irving
Bruce McClelland | Ribbon Communications, Inc. | Plano
Justin Shugrue | Shug’s Bagels | Dallas
Alfonso Montiel | SilverStone Health | Dallas
Rob Morris | Skybox Datacenters | Dallas
Mike Freeman | Steele & Freeman, Inc. | Fort Worth
Leif Savage | Tall City Brine LLC | Midland
Prasad Reddy | Twisted X Global Brands | Decatur
Jordan Jayson | U.S. Energy Development Corporation | Fort Worth
Richard J. Hall | US Oral Surgery Management | Irving
Learn more about the finalists at ey.com/us/eoysouthwest.
Regional award winners will be announced on June 9 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 USA and SAP. In the Southwest, sponsors also include Platinum sponsors BGSF and Haynes and Boone and Silver sponsors Big Picture, Pierpont Communications, Shane Spillers: Certified EOS Implementer and The Slate.
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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