Ernst & Young, or EY, has announced the winners of the annual Entrepreneur of the Year Michigan and Northwest Ohio Award.
The award program recognizes leaders of high-growth companies “who are creating a more equitable, sustainable, and prosperous world for future generations.”
The regional winners were chosen by an independent judging panel made up of previous award winners, CEOs, and other business leaders.
EY state candidates were evaluated based on their success in creating long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, commitment to their purpose, and the demonstration of growth and substantial impact, among other key indicators.
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 fortify it for the future.
“The 2024 Entrepreneur Of The Year Michigan and Northwest Ohio Award winners are exceptional business leaders fueling innovation within their industries and growth within their companies,” says Joe Lenglet, an EY partner and co-director of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Michigan and Northwest Ohio program.
The Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 Michigan and Northwest Ohio Award winners are:
- Louis E. James, SEEL, Detroit
- Kenneth Kelly, First Independence Bank, Detroit
- Michale Healander, Airspace Link, Detroit
- Steve Higginbotham, Smile America Partners, Farmington Hills
- Anthony Chang, BAMF Health, Grand Rapids
- Eloy Garza, Garza and Sons Labor Contractors, Wyoming
- Greg Herbruck, Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch, Saranac
- Vince DiPofi, SSOE Group, Toledo
- Ashlea Souffrou, SxanPro, Grand Rapids
- Matt Missad, UFP Industries Inc., Grand Rapids
- Lynn Chen-Zhangand Charles Zhang, Zhang Financial, Portage
Learn more about the winners at ey.com/us/eoymnwo.
These regional award winners now will move on to be considered for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 National Awards, set to be presented in November at the annual Strategic Growth Forum, a gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then represent the US as they compete for the World Entrepreneur of the Year Award in June 2025.
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.
In addition to Entrepreneur Of The Year, EY US supports other entrepreneurs through the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women program and the EY Entrepreneurs Access Network to help connect women founders and Black and Hispanic/Latino entrepreneurs, respectively, with resources.
Founded in 1986, EY states its Entrepreneur Of The Year has recognized more than 11,000 people in the U.S., and has since expanded to nearly 80 countries and territories globally. The U.S. program consists of 17 regional programs whose panels of independent judges select the regional award winners every June.
For more information, visit ey.com or ey.com/us/eoy.
