Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) proudly announces the winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 Southeast Award, honoring visionary leaders of high-growth companies driving innovation, growth and prosperity for future generations. The Southeast program celebrates entrepreneurs from Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and South Carolina. For 40 years, EY US has celebrated ambitious entrepreneurs who are transforming industries, impacting communities and creating long-term value.

Regional winners were selected by an independent panel of past winners, top CEOs and business leaders. Judges evaluated candidates on long-term value creation, entrepreneurial spirit, purpose-driven commitment, and significant growth and impact.

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 Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 Southeast Award winners are trailblazers who redefine excellence while transforming their industries and creating sustainable value,” says Chevy Arnold Southeast Program Director.

“They are the epitome of excellence in scaling businesses, always putting their employees, customers, and communities at the forefront of their mission,” added Kimberly Kicklighter Southeast Program Director.

The Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 Southeast Award winners are:

• Melanie Little | Colonial Pipeline Company | Alpharetta, Georgia

• Markus Scott | EyeQ Monitoring | Atlanta, Georgia

• Jon Gosier | FilmHedge | Atlanta, Georgia

• Erin Hanson | Guardian Sports | Peachtree Corners, Georgia

• Cyrus Mojdehi | Northway Homes | Charlotte, North Carolina

• Christopher Chuang | Relay, Inc. | Raleigh, North Carolina

• Kurt Jacobus, PhD | restor3d, Inc. | Durham, North Carolina

• Cindy Eckert | Sprout Pharmaceuticals | Raleigh, North Carolina

• Bryan Moore and Tina Moore | TalkShopLive Inc. | Nashville, Tennessee

• Joan Butters | Xsolis | Franklin, Tennessee

Learn more about the winners at ey.com/en_us/entrepreneur-of-the-year-us/southeast/winners

These regional award winners will now move on to be considered for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, set to 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 represent the US as they compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award in May 2026.

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.