Doug Jackson, CEO of Cali, Named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist

Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) has announced that Doug Jackson, President and CEO of Cali has been named an Entrepreneur of the Year 2024 Pacific Southwest Award finalist.

Now in its 38th year, Entrepreneur of the Year is the preeminent competitive business award for leaders who disrupt markets, revolutionize sectors, and have a transformational impact. Over the past four decades, the program has recognized daring entrepreneurs with big ideas and bold actions that reshape our world.

Jackson was selected as a finalist by an independent panel of judges. 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.

“As honored as I am to receive this recognition, what it truly reflects is the spirit of the Cali team,” said Jackson. “Our success as a thriving omni-channel brand stems from a culture that encourages innovation, collaboration, and challenging not just the status quo, but our own ability to win each day.”

Entrepreneur of the Year honors many different types of 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 fortify it for the future.

Regional award winners will be announced on June 7 during a special celebration 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.

In addition to Entrepreneur of the Year, EY US supports other entrepreneurs through the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women program and the EY Entrepreneurs Access Network to help connect women founders and Black and Hispanic/Latino entrepreneurs, respectively, with the resources, network and access needed to unlock their full potential.

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 overall National winner represents the US at the World Entrepreneur of the Year competition.