EY US celebrates ambitious entrepreneurs shaping the future of business

April 21, 2026 – Shawn Seipler, founder / CEO of Clean the World Global, LLC, has been named a finalist for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2026 Florida Award by Ernst & Young LLP (EY US). Now in its 41st 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 uplifting communities. The program honors entrepreneurs whose innovations drive economic growth and help shape the future of business.

An independent panel of judges selected Shawn Seipler among 35 finalists based on their entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, company growth and lasting impact in building long-term value.

“To be named an Entrepreneur Of The Year 2026 Florida finalist by EY US is an incredible honor. What started as a simple question in a hotel room 17 years ago has become a global movement because of the employees, hotel partners, donors, and nonprofit collaborators who believed that hospitality waste could save lives before anyone else did. Clean the World exists to turn what the world throws away, from used bars of soap to discarded plastic amenities, into hygiene and resources for the people who need them most, and every pound we recycle is a reminder that business can be a force for good. I am humbled to be recognized alongside such a remarkable group of Florida entrepreneurs, and I am more grateful than ever to the team who shows up every single day to make this mission possible.”

— Shawn Seipler, Founder and CEO, Clean the World

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.

This year’s Florida finalists represent many industries, including technology, consumer products, manufacturing, finance and more.

Regional award winners will be announced on June 12 during a special celebration in Miami 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®, where high-growth CEOs, Fortune 1000 executives and investors converge to shape the future of business.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards include presenting sponsors PNC Bank, Cresa, LLC, Marsh USA, SAP, and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. In Florida, sponsors also include ADP and Selective Insight– regional Silver sponsors.

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 80 countries and territories 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 national overall winner represents the US at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year® competition. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.

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 shape 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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