EY Announces Avelo Airlines Founder Andrew Levy as an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2024 Gulf South Award Finalist

PR Newswire

Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates ambitious entrepreneurs who are shaping the future

HOUSTON , April 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ernst & Young LLP today announced that Houston -based Avelo Airlines Founder, Chairman, and CEO Andrew Levy was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year ^® 2024 Gulf South Award finalist. The Gulf South program celebrates entrepreneurs from Central and South Texas , Louisiana , and Mississippi .

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

Levy was one of the regional entrepreneurs selected as finalists by an independent panel of judges. The 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 Avelo celebrates its third anniversary, this recognition is a tribute all 1,000 of my fellow Crewmembers can take great pride in," said Levy. "There are few industries as challenging and dynamic as the airline sector. While we are still in the early innings, when you consider the challenges that have confronted us at almost every turn — launching during the apex of the global pandemic, record-high fuel prices, skyrocketing inflation, and a pilot shortage — the progress Avelo has made in three short years is impressive. Our momentum is exemplified by Avelo's industry-leading operational reliability, world-class customer satisfaction levels, and recent profitability milestones. I am honored to be a finalist for this award."

When Avelo Airlines took flight in April 2021 it became America's first new airline in nearly 15 years. The airline was founded with a simple purpose — to Inspire Travel . Over the past three years, Avelo has provided more than 4.5 million Customers time and money-saving convenience, everyday low fares, and a refreshingly smooth, caring, and reliable travel experience.

Operating a fleet of 16 Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft, Avelo serves 52 popular destinations across the United States , including its six bases at Los Angeles' Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR), Southern Connecticut's Tweed-New Haven Airport (HVN), Orlando International Airport (MCO), the Philadelphia and Delaware Valley region's Wilmington Airport (ILG), Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), and on May 1, 2024 , Avelo will open its sixth base at the Bay Area's Sonoma County Airport (STS).

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 13, 2024 , 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.

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 overall National winner represents the US at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year ^® competition. Visit ey.com/us/eoy .

About EY
EY exists to build a better working world, helping to create long-term value for clients, people and society and build trust in the capital markets. Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform and operate.

Working across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax and transactions, EY teams ask better questions to find new answers for the complex issues facing our world today. EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy . EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com .

Media Contacts:
Jim Olson
jolson@aveloair.com

Courtney Goff
cgoff@aveloair.com

Madison Jones
Madison.jones@aveloair.com