Benchmark’s Jeff Benck among 20 Arizonans named finalists for EY Entrepreneur Of The Year awards
Story Highlights
- Twenty Arizona executives, including Jeff Benck from Council member Benchmark named finalists for Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur awards
- Finalists compete in Pacific Southwest region, including five states
- Regional winners announced June 6, advance to national competition
Twenty Arizona executives at 18 companies have been named finalists for the regional round of Ernst & Young LLP’s 2025 Entrepreneur Of The Year awards.
The Arizona nominees are competing in the Pacific Southwest region, which includes Orange County and San Diego in California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Hawaii. Now in its 40th year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year program honors innovators who are expected to help shape the future economy.
An independent panel of judges selected the regional finalists from 42 companies for their entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and lasting impact in building long-term value. Besides the 18 Arizona companies named as finalists, 21 were selected from California and three from Nevada.
Typically, the award nominees include startup founders who bootstrapped their businesses or raised outside capital to grow; transformational CEOs who came into an existing business to take it to the next level or multigenerational family business leaders.
Regional award winners will be announced on June 6, and will go on to compete in the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, to be presented in November at the EY US Strategic Growth Forum from Nov. 12-15 in Palm Springs, California.
“I’m truly inspired by this year’s finalists, who are not just entrepreneurs but visionaries making a significant difference in their industries and communities,” said Rachael Marini, Partner and Pacific Southwest – San Diego Program Director, in a statement. “Selected by a distinguished panel of judges, these individuals demonstrate an incredible commitment to their businesses, their customers, and the communities they serve. I am incredibly proud to be part of the Pacific Southwest business community, and it’s an honor to celebrate the achievements of these innovators and the positive impact they are creating.”
Here are the Arizona finalists:
- Christine Aguilera, Angel MedFlight (AWC-MH Holdings LLC), Scottsdale
- Amish Purohit & Jerry Williamson, Arkos Health, Gilbert
- Jeff Benck, Benchmark Electronics, Tempe
- Robert Maguire & Jaime Leija, BioLab Holdings Inc., Mesa
- David Jemmett, CISO Global Inc., Scottsdale
- Michael Malone, Lumifi, Scottsdale
- Dave Johnson, Mist America, Scottsdale
- Craig Cote, Mountainside Fitness, Scottsdale
- Greg Ayres, Nox Group LLC, Phoenix
- Shannon Heying, Nutritional Manufacturing Services LLC, Chandler
- Ben Garland, On Site Medical, Scottsdale
- Michael Popovich, STChealth, Phoenix
- Derek Wright, Suntec Concrete, Phoenix
- Sheryl Palmer, Taylor Morrison, Scottsdale
- Josh Young, Tempe Mechanical, Tempe
- Morgan Haynes, Tribal Health, Scottsdale
- Scott McDonald, Wallcor, Gilbert
Read more about the 42 Pacific Southwest region finalists.