19 Virginians are finalists for EY Mid-Atlantic Entrepreneur of the Year

Nineteen Virginia business leaders are among the 36 finalists for Ernst & Young‘s 2025 Mid-Atlantic Entrepreneur of the Year award, according to a Tuesday announcement.

The Big Four global professional services firm will name the regional awards winners on June 18.

EY’s Mid-Atlantic region covers Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. Of the 36 finalists, seven were from Maryland and 10 were from the District. In total, this year’s mid-Atlantic EY regional finalists generated nearly $51 billion in 2024, employing more than 169,000 people. Over the most recent three-year period, they averaged 46% growth in revenue and 32% workforce growth.

In the U.S., the EY competition is divided into 17 regions. Regional winners compete in November for national awards, and the national winner represents the U.S. in EY’s World Entrepreneur of the Year competition. EY founded its Entrepreneur of the Year program in 1986.

“Our independent panel of judges selected bold entrepreneurs who show resilience and adaptability as well as a dedication to solving real problems in business and society,” Lisa Kelly, Mid-Atlantic Program Co-Director, stated in a news release. “We are delighted to recognize their successes.”

The Virginia finalists include:

• Jeff Beck, co-founder and CEO, AnswersNow, Richmond
• Gloria Bohan, founder, president and CEO, Omega World Travel, Fairfax County
• Olivia Trivisani Bowker, founder and CEO, Amivero, Reston
• Mitchell Cho, founder and CEO, FedWriters, Fairfax County
• Greg Craddock, CEO, Patriot Group International, Warrenton
• Glenn Diersen, founder and president, Summit Human Capital, Richmond
• Mark Drever, founding partner and CEO, Xcelerate Solutions, McLean
• Kathy Freeland, president and CEO, A-TEK, McLean
• Shawn Gundrum, president and CEO, Cathexis, Tysons
• Craig Halliday, CEO, Unanet, Dulles
• Kendall Holbrook, CEO, Dev Technology Group, Reston
• Amir Hudda, CEO, Qu, Arlington County
• Gautam Ijoor, founder, president and CEO, Alpha Omega, Vienna
• Felix Lloyd, co-founder and CEO, Zoobean, Arlington County
• Shubhi Mishra, founder and CEO, Raft, McLean
• Ahmad Nassar, CEO, Winners Alliance, Tysons
• Bill Schaefer, president and CEO, Amyx, Reston
• Rob Schroder, founder and managing partner, SteerBridge, Tysons
• Matt Small, president and CEO, Symplicity, Arlington County