A Houston-area entrepreneur has been named a finalist for the region’s most prestigious business award.
Seventeen finalists will compete for Ernst & Young’s 2024 Gulf South Award for Entrepreneur of the Year. The Gulf South region includes Louisiana and Mississippi, as well as parts of Texas.
An independent panel of judges selected: 48 finalists. Candidates were evaluated for demonstrating building long-term value through factors such as entrepreneurship, purpose, growth and impact.
The Houston area finalists are:
- Shannon Payne, Allied Fire Protection, Pearland
- Jay McIntyre IV, Arva Intelligence, Houston
- Andrew Levy, Avero Airlines, Houston
- Derek Maetzold, Castle Biosciences, Friendswood
- Scott Aronstein, Connection Source, Houston
- Joshua Weisman, Construction Concepts, Houston
- Feras Moussa and Ben Suttles, Disrupt Equity, Houston
- John Poindexter, JB Poindexter, Houston
- James Ross, LJA Engineering, Houston
- Asher Kazmann, Locke Solutions, Houston
- Chad Millis, Millis, Missouri
- Mike Francis, NanoTech Materials, Houston
- Stuart Hinchen and Peter Jenkins, Quva Pharma, Sugar Land
- Trevor Best and Suman Khatiwada, Syzygy Plasmonics, Houston
- Hal Brumfield, Tachas Fiber Internet, The Woodlands
- Jared Boudreaux, Vector Control and Automation Group, Pearland
- Ting Qiao, One Bridge, Houston
“This year’s finalists are bold entrepreneurs who are making a huge impact in their industries and communities,” said Anna Hohndahl, partner at EY and co-director of the EOY Gulf South program.
“Selected by an independent panel of judges, these pioneers demonstrate a relentless commitment to their businesses, customers and communities. We are thrilled to recognize their achievements,” said EY Partner added Travis Garms, co-director of the EOY Gulf South program.
