This evening, Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) named Christopher Barnett, Founder & CEO of ABA Centers, as a winner of its Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2024 Florida Award. This latest achievement advances Mr. Barnett to the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Awards.
Now in its 38th year, Entrepreneur Of The Year is the preeminent competitive business award for audacious leaders who disrupt markets, revolutionize sectors, and have a transformational impact on lives. For nearly four decades, the program has recognized daring entrepreneurs with big ideas and bold actions that reshape our world. The Florida program celebrates entrepreneurs from Florida and Puerto Rico and each finalist underwent an in-depth, multi-phase vetting and interview process.
Mr. Barnett was selected from 22 finalists. The candidates were evaluated based on their demonstration of building long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth, and impact, among other core contributions and attributes by an independent panel of judges. The program celebrates original founders who bootstrapped their business from inception and transformational CEOs who infused innovation into an existing organization to catapult its trajectory.
“I stand here as the founder of ABA Centers, but there are thousands of employees behind me that sacrifice every day to live our mission, which is to be a cause for change in kids’ lives,” Mr. Barnett said in his acceptance remarks.
Mr. Barnett founded ABA Centers in 2020 with a de novo and self-funded growth strategy – and only four original employees. Today, the organization boasts more than 1,400 team members across two countries and experienced an incredible 5,012% increase in revenue in the three-year period considered for this award.
The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Awards will be presented this November at the annual Strategic Growth Forum®. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year® Award in June 2025.
About EY
EY exists to build a better working world, helping to create long-term value for clients, people and society and build trust in the capital markets. Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform and operate. Working across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax and transactions, EY teams ask better questions to find new answers for the complex issues facing our world today.
EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.
English 