Davidson-Davie alum is Ernst and Young Entrepreneur Of The Year
Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) announced that CEO Justin W. Strickland of Strickland Brothers 10 Minute Oil Change was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2022 Southeast Award winner. Entrepreneur Of The Year is one of the preeminent competitive business awards for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies who think big to succeed. An independent panel of judges selected Justin based on his entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth, and impact, among other core contributions and attributes.
“I am humbled to have received the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award for 2022. I was taken aback by the intellect my peers displayed throughout the process and learned from every networking opportunity afforded to me through the EY program.”
“The award was very unexpected for me as I had met some of the other candidates that are doing so many wonderful things to improve and inspire their communities, the United States, and ultimately the world. To be included in the same class as some of these folks is a great accomplishment for me. The award is a testament to the terrific team we have at our company, and, once again, they are making me look better than I deserve. This is a very prestigious honor for our company, my alma mater, Davidson-Davie Community College, and our community in Winston Salem, NC. My journey, like many other entrepreneurs, has not been an easy one. We were rejected so many times by lenders, venture capitalists and the like. From my community college days to my grandfather’s $35,000 home equity line, I don’t think too many people picked us to even turn a profit in business, let alone share a stage with some of the world’s best entrepreneurs. It’s incredibly humbling. Strickland Brothers, to me, is living proof that with an insane work ethic, an absolute commitment to personal and professional development, combined with a team-first mentality, anything is possible. One of the greatest pleasures in life is doing things that others say you can’t. Having the opportunity and privilege of standing on the stage in Fox Theater in front of my peers is most certainly one of the highlights that our team has had. If my grandfather were alive today, I think he would be amazed and probably give me a “told ya so.” Big thank you to EY, my peers in the EY program and to our team at Strickland Brothers.”
As a Southeast award winner, Justin will now be considered by the National independent panel of judges for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2022 National Awards. National finalists and winners, as well as the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced in November at the annual Strategic Growth Forum®.
The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award in June 2023. The Entrepreneur Of The Year program has honored the inspirational leadership of entrepreneurs such as:
Cherie Kloss of SnapNurse
Saeju Jeong of Noom
Joe DeSimone of Carbon, Inc.
Howard Schultz of Starbucks Coffee Company
Jodi Berg of Vitamix
Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn Corporation
Hamdi Ulukaya of Chobani, Inc.
Kendra Scott of Kendra Scott LLC
Andreas Bechtolsheim and Jayshree Ullal of Arista Networks
James Park of Fitbit
Daymond John of FUBU
Sheila Mikhail of AskBio
Sponsors
Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are presented by PNC Bank. In the Southeast, sponsors also include PNC, King & Spalding and Cresa.
About Entrepreneur Of The Year®
Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world’s most prestigious business awards program for unstoppable entrepreneurs. These visionary leaders deliver innovation, growth and prosperity that transform our world. The program engages entrepreneurs with insights and experiences that foster growth. It connects them with their peers to strengthen entrepreneurship around the world. Entrepreneur Of The Year is the first and only truly global awards program of its kind. It celebrates entrepreneurs through regional and national awards programs in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries. National overall winners go on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ title. ey.com/us/eoy.
About EY Private
As Advisors to the ambitious™, EY Private professionals possess the experience and passion to support private businesses and their owners in unlocking the full potential of their ambitions. EY Private teams offer distinct insights born from the long EY history of working with business owners and entrepreneurs. These teams support the full spectrum of private enterprises including private capital managers and investors and the portfolio businesses they fund, business owners, family businesses, family offices and entrepreneurs. Visit ey.com/us/private
About EY
EY exists to build a better working world, helping 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.
Ernst & Young LLP is a client-serving member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited operating in the US.
