Announcing the 34 Finalists for the 2026 Spirit of the Entrepreneur Awards gala event!

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif., October 3, 2026 -- The Randall W. Lewis Center for Entrepreneurship (RLCE) at Cal State San Bernardino and Premier Sponsor U.S. Bank announced the finalists for the 24th annual celebration of the Spirit of the Entrepreneur Awards program. 34 entrepreneurs were selected from a pool of 256 nominees, 111 applications and 54 semifinalists which represented accomplished firms and emerging ventures with exceptional promise, making the evaluators’ task highly competitive. The 54 semifinalists participated in a reception on October 2, sponsored by McKell Partners, where they interacted with the event judges and their peer entrepreneurs. Immediately following the reception, the judges convened for several hours of deliberation, leading to the selection of 34 finalists.

What’s next

The finalists for the event will compete for the Spirit of the Entrepreneur award in eight (8) different categories at the black-tie gala on November 12th at the Riverside Convention Center in Riverside. Winners will be announced at the event.

Meet the 2026 finalists:

DESIGN, ENGINEERING,CONSTRUCTION & REAL ESTATE ENTREPRENEUR

• California Curb Appeal Real Property Specialists - Roberta Albano - San Bernardino
• Diamond Fire Protection LLC - Bryant Arias - Temecula
• MC Electric - Elvia Chavez - Chino
• Najera Environmental DBA 1 Stop Restoration - christopher Dale Najera - Corona
• Silver Creek Modular - Steve PonTell - Perris
• Zienix Property Services - Suzie Murrish - Ontario

DISTRIBUTION & SPECIALTY COMMERCE ENTREPRENEUR

• Aziz Farms and The Packhouse at Aziz Farms - Mark & Nicole Tadros - Thermal
• Cielo Blu, LLC - Kayla DiLullo - Chino
• Inland Boat Center - James Mark Dakan - Lake Elsinore
• MVS, Inc. - Eric Goodman - San Bernardino

EMERGING ENTREPRENEUR

• Apsidal - Amrit De - Riverside
• BASEstud.io - Heidi Adams - Palm Springs
• Benedetto Gelato (Benedetto LLC) - Andres Ferreira - Riverside

FOOD/HOSPITALITY/ENTERTAINMENT ENTREPRENEUR

• Batta Foods Inc. - Gagan and Aman Batta - Mira Loma
• Cornerstone BBQ & Cluck N Moo - Anthony Colindres - Beaumont
• Sumo Dog - Jeffrey Lunak - Palm Desert

GENERAL ENTREPRENEUR

• Big Fogg Inc. - Christopher Miehl - Murrieta
• CMAX Sanitary Services - Frank Gutierrez - Ontario
• Mex-American Tax Service - Eduardo Sanchez - Indio
• Sundown Window Tint, Inc. - Zach Feenstra - Riverside

MANUFACTURING ENTREPRENEUR

• A19 Artisan Lighting - Cinnamon Alvarez Finken - Ontario
• Combustion Associates, Inc. (CAI) - Kusum Kavia - Corona
• Ecko Ice Products - Eric Rogers/Chris Hively - Ontario
• Embroidery In Motion - Liz Nicks - Riverside
• Phenix Technology, Inc. - Angel Sanchez, Jr - Riverside
  
  SERVICE-BASED ENTREPRENEUR
  
  • Beauregard Family Therapy Group - Jonathan Beauregard - Colton
  • Business Telecommunication Systems - Larry and Terry LaVorgna - Corona
  • Idea House & Co. - Matt Ryczek - La Verne
  • Indrio Technologies Inc. - Ritobrata Sur - Riverside
  • Katalyst Partners LLC - Michael "Mike" Hardy - San Dimas
  • Wilson Ivanova Certified Public Accountants, Inc., APAC - Matthew Wilson / Maya Ivanova - San Bernardino
  
  SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR
  
  • REAL Journey Academies - Alex Lucero - Ontario
  • Rescue a Generation Inc. - Jose Rodriguez - San Bernardino
  • Vet Phoenix - Manuel Gomez - Moreno Valley
  
  

  Spirit Awards Event Features

  Commencing at 5:00 p.m. on November 12, attendees will experience either a Gala or VIP reception, stellar event entertainment, awards presentations, and an exclusive after party!

  TICKETING

  Attendees can BOOK TICKETS ONLINE HERE Starting October 7 with direct seat selection for the 2025 Spirit of the Entrepreneur Awards gala event. Ticket prices for the black-tie event range from $165 to $250 each + fees.

  Best of the Best Award
  The top entrepreneur from among the evenings award recipients that best exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit will take home the 2026 Best of the Best award, sponsored by Best, Best & Krieger, LLP

  The Mary Anne Fox Top Female Entrepreneur Award
  The outstanding female entrepreneur from among the finalists will be recognized with the Mary Anne Fox Top Female Entrepreneur Award.

  The Garner Holt Student Fast Pitch Competition

  Witness 90-second business pitches from competing student finalists. Audience members cast their votes for the best business idea through a live voting poll to determine which students will walk away with the top cash prizes.

  Entertainment
  Upcoming entertainment guest stars are always an anticipated reveal during the gala. Past events have included top flight entertainment such as: Rock Legend Eddie Money, Ekenah Claudin-Transcending Box, and Gregory Adamson- Facing the Music Performance Artistry.

  VIP Reception Sponsored by U.S. Bank

  A portion of the proceeds from the Spirit of the Entrepreneur event benefit the Spirit of the Entrepreneur Scholarship established by Dr. Mike Stull, Director of the Randall W. Lewis Center for Entrepreneurship at California State University, San Bernardino. The scholarship is awarded to vetted and deserving entrepreneurship students from CSUSB's School of Entrepreneurship, to assist them in achieving their degree.

  • EVENT SPONSORS

    The Spirit of the Entrepreneur event is presented by the Randall W. Lewis Center for Entrepreneurship (RLCE), U.S. Bank, and the Jack H. Brown College of Business & Public Administration at California State University San Bernardino and sponsored by a wide range of local organizations including:

  • DIAMOND SPONSOR Wells Fargo
  • PLATINUM SPONSORS Best Best & Krieger LLP, Southern California News Group, Inland Empire Magazine and 15 Birds Productions.
  • GOLD SPONSORS Varner & Brandt LLP, Riverside County Office of Economic Development, San Bernardino County Economic Development, JP Morgan Chase, Desmond & Louis, and PNC Bank
  • SILVER SPONSORS AmPac Business Capital
  • JUDGING RECEPTION SPONSOR McKell Partners Wealth Management
  • VIP RECEPTION SPONSOR U.S. Bank
  • WELCOME EXPERIENCE SPONSOR Bank of America
  • GALA RECEPTION HOST Wells Fargo
  • AFTER PARTY SPONSOR Customers Bank