Celebrating the unstoppable entrepreneurs whose ambitions transform our world
MIAMI, FLORIDA, June 23, 2022 – Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced that Gregg Cohen and Alex Sifakis, Co-Founders of JWB Real Estate Capital were named the Entrepreneur(s) Of The Year® 2022 Florida 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 Gregg and Alex based on their entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact, among other core contributions and attributes.
As a Florida award winner, Gregg and Alex 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
- Wayne H. Huizenga, Huizenga Holdings Incorporated
- Daymond John of FUBU
- Sheila Mikhail of AskBio
- Kristin Johnson, Hotwire Communications
- Suneera Madhani and Sal Rehmetullah, Stax
- Jon Ferrando, RV Retailer, LLC
- Edwards Matt McDonald, Citrix Systems
- Saeju Jeong of Noom
- 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
Following college graduation, Cohen and Sifakis created their entrepreneurial real estate investment company following the advice and instruction of experts in the field. Sifakis convinced his mother to allow him to use her retirement savings for his first endeavor and recalls, “Failure wasn’t an option. If I lost my mom’s money, it meant that she would live with me for the rest of her life and I couldn’t let that happen.”
Though Cohen had a promising corporate job available to him, he recognized early the benefits of working for himself and knew that entrepreneurship made the most sense to create the best life for himself.
Despite starting on the eve of the real estate market collapse, Sifakis and Cohen were able to grow JWB into a vertically-integrated premium real estate investment company. By offering unparalleled service to everyone they encountered, JWB grew a client base spanning the globe and managing more than 4,400 properties in the Jacksonville community.
Sponsors
Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are presented by PNC Bank. In Florida, sponsors also include DLA Piper 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
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