Two-Time EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® Gulf South Award Winner, Recognized for Leadership, Innovation, and Building America’s Critical Infrastructure.
July 8, 2026 9:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time
HOUSTON, TX – Donald Young, CEO of Houston-based Race Rock, was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2026 Gulf South Award winner by Ernst & Young LLP (EY US). Race Rock specializes in engineered solutions in the utility industry, highway safety, and energy markets. Young is now a two-time winner of this prestigious award, having won in 2015.
EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year program recognizes business leaders for their ingenuity, courage, entrepreneurial spirit, and commitment to creating long-term value through innovation.
Now in its 41st year, the program selects regional winners through an independent panel of past honorees, leading CEOs, and business leaders. The committee recognized Young for creating long-term value, demonstrating entrepreneurial spirit, showing purpose-driven commitment, and driving Race Rock’s significant growth and impact.
“It’s an honor to be named an EY regional winner,” said Young. “Achievements like this are made possible by a dedicated team, and I’m proud of the support of everyone at Race Rock. I also want to thank the EY team and congratulate the other winners. Winning this award for a second time is truly exciting.”
As a winner in the Gulf South category, Young will be considered by the national judges for the EY of the Year National awards, which will be presented in November at the annual Strategic Growth Forum®. The National Overall Award winner will move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award in May 2027.
About Race Rock
Race Rock (www.racerock.com) delivers engineered products and services through three solution segments: Race Rock Engineered Structures, Race Rock Highway Safety, and Spitzer Engineered Packages & Heavy Fabrication. Race Rock specializes in engineered solutions in the utility industry (steel transmission/distribution poles and substation structures, solar panel support structures), highway industry (highway lighting poles and lowering devices, overhead sign structures, guardrail systems, and crash attenuators), and energy markets (engineered equipment and modular solutions). Race Rock’s mission is to serve as a trusted partner to those who build and maintain infrastructure.
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 60 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 EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ competition. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.
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