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Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates ambitious entrepreneurs who are building bolder futures
SAN DIEGO, May 5, 2023 – Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced the finalists for the Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2023 Pacific Southwest program. The Pacific Southwest program celebrates entrepreneurs from California (San Diego & Orange County), Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Hawaii. Now in its 37th year, Entrepreneur Of The Year is the preeminent competitive business awards for transformative entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies who are building a more equitable, sustainable and prosperous world for all.
These entrepreneurs were selected as finalists by an independent panel of judges. The candidates were evaluated based on their demonstration of building long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact, among other core contributions and attributes.
The 2023 Pacific Southwest finalists are:
Alexi Venneri | Digital Air Strike | Scottsdale, Arizona
Chance Mims | Academy Securities | San Diego, California
Quyen Nguyen | Alume Biosciences | San Diego, California
John Shen | American Lending Center Holdings Inc. | Irvine, California
Jimmy Whalen | Arbitech, LLC | Irvine, California
Gary Moore, Ryan Moore, Jeff Moore and Scott Moore | ATI Restoration | Anaheim, California
John Beaver | Biolase, Inc. | Foothill Ranch, California
Chris Loeffler | Caliber | Scottsdale, Arizona
Dirk Wray | Camston Wrather | Carlsbad, California
Shahab Elmi | Cymbiotika LLC | San Diego, California
Mark Schouten | Diversified Roofing | Phoenix, Arizona
Sean Lupton-Smith | Electric Bike Co. | Costa Mesa, California
Tom Miller | Entos Inc | La Jolla, California
Kathey Wagner | EPS Group, Inc. | Mesa, Arizona
David Moatazedi | Evolus | Newport Beach, California
Michelle Heeb | Forward Tilt | Scottsdale, Arizona
Scott Shainman | Fusion Care Group | La Mesa, California
Maher Albitar | Genomic Testing Cooperative | Irvine, California
Vicki Mayo | Global Market Innovators (GMI) | Phoenix, Arizona
David Wachs | Handwrytten | Tempe, Arizona
Maritza Diaz | ITJ USA, Inc | Rancho Santa Fe, California
David Glickman and Rizwan Kassim | Ka’ena Corporation | Costa Mesa, California
Ahad Khan | Kajabi LLC | Irvine, California
John Ho | Landsea Homes | Newport Beach, California
Kevin Lind | Longboard Pharmaceuticals | La Jolla, California
Donny Salazar | MasonHub |Rancho Cucamonga, California
Russ Garcia, Chris Giovanniello and Chris Keimel | Menlo Microsystems, Inc. | Irvine, California
Jeff Spight | MIND 24-7 | Scottsdale, Arizona
Steve Zhou | Moov Technologies, Inc. | Tempe, Arizona
Chris Karkenny | NVISION Eye Center | Aliso Viejo, California
Kentaro Kawamori | Persefoni | Tempe, Arizona
Chuck Casano | Pitaya Foods | San Diego, California
Jack Kennedy | Platform Science | San Diego, California
Mark McKenna | Prometheus Biosciences | La Jolla, California
Douglas Bryant | QuidelOrtho Corporation |San Diego, California
Brad Hillier | Re-Bath | Phoenix, Arizona
Greg Flesher | Reneo Pharmaceuticals | Irvine, California
Stephanie Venn Watson and Eric Venn Watson | Seraphina Therapeutics | San Diego, California
Lucas Haldeman | SmartRent | Scottsdale, Arizona
Anthony Margaraci | Trinity Packaging Supply | Newport Beach, California
Cody Barbo | Trust & Will | San Diego, California
Simer Mayo | Valor Global | Phoenix, Arizona
Ville Houttu | Vincit USA | Irvine, California
“This year’s finalists are remarkable and inspiring entrepreneurs who have created positive impact across their industries and communities,” said Jon Smith, Entrepreneur Of The Year Pacific Southwest Program Director and Partner at EY. “They have been carefully selected by our independent panel of judges, and we are thrilled to recognize them for their notable contributions and commitment to their companies, customers and communities.”
Regional award winners will be announced on June 16, 2023 during a special celebration. The winners will then be considered by the National 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. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year® Award in June 2024.
The Entrepreneur Of The Year program has recognized more than 11,000 entrepreneurs throughout the US since its inception in 1986, and it has grown to recognize business leaders across 145 cities in over 60 countries around the world.
