Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) announced today that Kathey Wagner, CEO of Mesa, Arizona-based EPS Group, was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2023 Pacific Southwest Award finalist. Now in its 37th year, Entrepreneur Of The Year is one of the preeminent competitive business awards for transformative entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies who are building a more equitable, sustainable and prosperous world for all.
Wagner was selected by an independent panel of judges. Entrepreneurs were evaluated based on their demonstration of building long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact, among other core contributions and attributes.
EPS Group is a civil engineering firm with offices in Colorado and Arizona that is celebrating 20 years in business in 2023. The company provides civil engineering, planning, land development, surveying, water resource, landscape architecture and construction management services, with associates who are certified in 14 states across the country. EPS Group expertise ranges from major public works infrastructure to large-scale private developments. Wagner, who began working for EPS Group in 2018 and became the firm’s first-ever CEO in 2019, was recently named an Outstanding Woman in Business by the Phoenix Business Journal.
“Being named a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur Award for the Southwest Pacific Region is a goosebump honor!” said Wagner. “I’m grateful to represent EPS Group and our associates and the collaborative progress we’re making together with our clients in pursuit of our goal to become the #1 Design Firm in the Southwest.”
Regional award winners will be announced on June 16, 2023, during a special celebration. 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. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year® Award in June 2024.
The Entrepreneur Of The Year program has recognized more than 11,000 entrepreneurs throughout the US since its inception in 1986, and it has grown to recognize business leaders across 145 cities in over 60 countries around the world.
EPS Group’s home office is located in Mesa, AZ; additional market offices are in Phoenix, AZ, Tucson, AZ, Goodyear, AZ and Loveland, CO. A Texas office will open in 2023.