COLUMBUS, OH, UNITED STATES, May 5, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) announced the finalists for the prestigious Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 East Central Award. Now in its 40th year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year program celebrates the bold leaders who disrupt markets through the world’s most ground-breaking companies, revolutionizing industries and making a profound impact on communities. The program honors bold entrepreneurs whose innovations shape the future and pave the way for a thriving economy and a hopeful tomorrow. The East Central program celebrates entrepreneurs from Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Northeast and South-Central Ohio and Kentucky.
An independent panel of judges selected Alexa Lowe and Joe Huber among 29 individual finalists from 26 companies for their entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and lasting impact in building long-term value.
“We started these companies with nothing but hustle, vision, and a belief that we could do things differently,” said Joe Huber and Alexa Lowe, co-founders of Huber Equity Group and Verti CRE. “To be recognized among this group of trailblazing entrepreneurs is a huge honor. It validates every cold call, every risk, every all-in moment we’ve taken to build a business, and a model, that’s reshaping the real estate industry.
What began with a Craigslist Vespa and a cold-call hustle grew into Huber Equity Group, a high-growth investment platform built by co-founders Joe Huber and Alexa Lowe. After flipping 50+ homes, they joined forces in 2018, combining vision and operational rigor to scale a private equity firm that’s closed over $210 million in transactions, acquired 1,700+ units across 22 states, and improved housing for 7,000+ residents.
In 2024, they launched Verti Commercial Real Estate to meet a need uncovered through HEG’s rapid growth: the traditional brokerage model wasn’t built for their off-market velocity. Backed by their proprietary Direct-to-Seller System™, which generates 150,000+ owner touch points per year, Verti identified 8,609 multifamily units and built an $880 million pipeline in just six months, projected to deliver $35 million in revenue within two years.
Together, HEG and Verti operate as a vertically integrated platform that blends scale with social impact, mentoring first-time investors, offering ownership to brokers, and reinvesting 20% of profits into the community.
Entrepreneur Of The Year honors business leaders for their ingenuity, courage and entrepreneurial spirit. The program celebrates original 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 catapult its trajectory; and multigenerational family business leaders who reimagined a legacy business model to strengthen it for the future.
Regional award winners will be announced on June 12 during a special celebration in Cincinnati and will become lifetime members of an esteemed community of Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni from around the world. The winners will then be considered by the National judges for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, which will be presented in November at the annual Strategic Growth Forum®, one of the nation’s most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies.
Sponsors
Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards include presenting sponsors PNC Bank, Cresa, LLC, Marsh USA and SAP. In East Central, sponsors also include regional Platinum sponsors DFIN (Donnelly Financial Solutions) and VRC (Valuation Research Corporation).
About Entrepreneur Of The Year
Founded in 1986, Entrepreneur Of The Year has celebrated more than 11,000 ambitious visionaries who are leading successful, dynamic businesses in the US, and it has since expanded to nearly 60 countries globally.
The US program consists of 17 regional programs whose panels of independent judges select the regional award winners every June. Those winners compete for national recognition at the Strategic Growth Forum® in November where National finalists and award winners are announced. The overall National winner represents the US at the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ competition.
About EY
EY is building a better working world by creating new value for clients, people, society and the planet, while building trust in capital markets. Enabled by data, AI and advanced technology, EY teams help clients the future with confidence and develop answers for the most pressing issues of today and tomorrow.
EY teams work across a full spectrum of services in assurance, consulting, tax, strategy and transactions. Fueled by sector insights, a globally connected, multi-disciplinary network and diverse ecosystem partners, EY teams can provide services in more than 150 countries and territories.
All in to shape the future with confidence.
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Jessica Dunkley, Associate Director of Marketing & Operation
Verti Commercial Real Estate
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