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Thirty-five business leaders from New Jersey are regional finalists for EY’s 2026 Entrepreneur of the Year award.

Founded in 1986 by the global tax and advisory services firm, the national recognition is considered one of the preeminent competitive business awards for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. Over the years, it has celebrated more than 11,000 professionals who lead successful, dynamic businesses in the U.S. and nearly 60 countries around the world.

Some past winners include Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Dell Computer Corp. founder Michael Dell, Noom founder Saeju Jeong, Crumbl Cookies founder Jason McGowan and former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz.

According to EY, nominees are evaluated by an independent panel of judges on criteria such as:

• Entrepreneurial spirit
• Purpose
• Growth
• Impact
• Financial performance

Regional winners will be announced in June. Then, honorees will be eligible for the national awards, which EY will hand out in November.

From there, the overall winner will represent the U.S. at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year competition.

New Jersey entrepreneurs leading the way

Joel Wagner, co-director of the New Jersey recognition program, applauded this year’s local honorees for using their “leadership and vision” to shape the future of business in the region.

Program co-director Taylor Mulrane added, “Their passion, perseverance and impact exemplify the spirit of entrepreneurship in New Jersey, and we’re proud to recognize them.”

To be eligible, individuals must be the CEO or president of a private or public company who is primarily responsible for the recent performance and served in that role for at least two years. They may also be the original founder, multigenerational family business leader or transformational CEO who is not the founder of a company or subsidiary.

EY noted that the company must have been in business for at least two years and have a minimum revenue of $10 million. There are potential exceptions to the revenue requirement for companies in the life sciences sector and emerging high-growth companies that are less than five years old.

2026 EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards New Jersey Finalists

• Hemen Vimadalal
  1Kosmos — identity security/cybersecurity
• Sean Magee
  Anchor Trading, consumer goods distribution
• Surekha Pailla
  Arohak Inc — data analytics/AI
• Jim Huang
  Ascendia Pharmaceutical Solutions — biotech/drug delivery
• Matthew Cifelli
  Attain PT — health care/physical therapy
• Diana Betancourth
  Babco Services LLC — janitorial/facility services
• Susan Levinson
  BioAegis Therapeutics — biotech
• John McGuckin
  Clio Snacks — food manufacturing/CPG
• Corey Apirian
  Davinci Micro Fulfillment — logistics/automation
• Jamie Giovinazzo
  Eat Clean Bro — meal delivery/food service
• David Seelinger
  EmpireCLS — transportation/luxury logistics
• Vincent Annunziata & Austin Markowski
  Everest Pallet — industrial/manufacturing
• Greg Banbury
  For Wellness — health & wellness/supplements
• Gary Kellstrom Jr.
  Geared Power BioTech — biotech/lab services
• Sherry Shao & Frank Zhang
  GenScript Biotech — biotech/life sciences tools
• Ken Ehrman
  Halo Collar — pet tech/consumer electronics
• Sam Rockwell, Justin Samuels, Jeremy Reich
  Happi Co. — consumer products/sustainability
• Bo Liang 
  IVIEW Therapeutics — biotech/ophthalmology
• Bala Shan
  Lorven Technologies — IT services/staffing
• Syed Husain
  Made Scientific — biopharma manufacturing (contract development and manufacturing organization – CDMO)
• Adam Michaels
  Mama’s Creations — prepared foods/CPG
• Vinod Borsadiya
  Pioneer Life Sciences — pharma services/consulting
• Seth Flowerman & Devin Stagg
  PLT Health Solutions — nutraceutical ingredients
• William Vanderveer
  Redefine Healthcare — pain management/health care
• Victor Hakim
  Rely Home — home services/HVAC & plumbing
• Himanshu Bhatia
  Ricovr Healthcare — biotech/diagnostics
• Christopher Schaber
  Soligenix — biopharma
• Michael Marrazzo Jr.
  Summit Facility Solutions — facility services/janitorial
• Ari Strulson
  TicketOS — software/ticketing platform
• Jesus Repetto
  Titanium Tours — travel/tourism/transportation