Accounting and auditing firm Ernst & Young announced the winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 New Jersey Award, honoring visionary leaders of high-growth companies driving innovation, growth and prosperity for future generations. The event took place on June 9 at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City.
For 40 years, the firm 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, 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 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 launch its trajectory; and multigenerational family business leaders who reimagined a legacy business model to prepare it for the future.
“The Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 New Jersey Award winners are trailblazers who redefine excellence and set new benchmarks in their industries,” said Joel Wagner, EOY New Jersey program co-director.
“They should be commended for having the courage to take calculated risks to scale their businesses, while bringing their employees, customers and communities along for the ride,” added Brian Lioce, EOY New Jersey program co-director.
The Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 New Jersey Award winners are:
- Jonathan Ritz | Coaction Specialty Insurance
- Mike Rodgers | Critical Response Group, Inc
- Will Lewis | Insmed
- Rashaad Bajwa | Integris
- Jason Parker and Steve Parker | K9 Resorts Luxury Pet Hotel
- Michael Ostroff | Patella Woodworking/RPG Acoustics
- Jordan Hu | RiskVal Financial Solutions, LLC
- Diana Levy | Undercover Chocolate Company Inc.
Among the more notable winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards are James Park of Fitbit; Arthur Blank of The Home Depot; Reed Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn; Saiju Jeong of Noom; Eric Yuan of Zoom; and Howard Schultz of Starbucks Coffee Co.
