ARLINGTON, VA (May 12, 2026), May 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Steve Raeder, Chairman/CEO of Summit Ridge Energy, has been named a finalist for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2026 Mid-Atlantic Award by Ernst & Young LLP (EY US). Now in its 41st year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year program celebrates the bold leaders who disrupt markets through the world’s most ground-breaking companies, revolutionizing industries and uplifting communities. The program honors entrepreneurs whose innovations drive economic growth and help shape the future of business.
An independent panel of judges selected Raeder among 36 finalists from 34 companies based on their entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, company growth, and lasting impact in building long-term value.
“Being named a finalist for Entrepreneur Of The Year is an enormous honor, and one I share with everyone who has bet on Summit Ridge over the last nine years,” said Raeder. “What started as a small team and a conviction that this country needed a smarter way to build distributed power has grown into thousands of skilled workers across America, tens of thousands of customers seeing real savings on their energy bills, and partnerships with the communities, utilities, and institutions that make this industry possible. Entrepreneurship at our scale isn’t a solo act — it’s the daily work of electricians, engineers, developers, financiers, and operators who choose to do hard things well. My deepest gratitude goes out to all of them, to the customers who place their trust in us, and to the partners who helped transform a bold idea into essential energy infrastructure.”
Founded by Raeder in 2017, Summit Ridge has grown into one of the nation’s leading commercial solar companies, employing thousands of highly skilled workers across the country, delivering more affordable, locally generated power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses, and operating and developing more than 3 GW of distributed solar and battery storage nationwide.
Entrepreneur Of The Year honors 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 strengthen it for the future.
This year’s Mid-Atlantic finalists represent Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., across all industries, including technology, consumer products, manufacturing, finance, and more.
Regional award winners will be announced on June 18 during a special celebration in Washington, D.C., 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®, where high-growth CEOs, Fortune 1000 executives, and investors converge to shape the future of business.
Sponsors
Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards include presenting sponsors PNC Bank, Cresa, LLC, Marsh USA, SAP, and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. In the Mid-Atlantic, sponsors also include regional Platinum sponsor ADP, regional Gold sponsors Cooley and DLA Piper, and regional Silver sponsor Stagedge.
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 national overall winner represents the US at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year® competition. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.
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About EY
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About Summit Ridge Energy
Summit Ridge Energy is the nation’s leading commercial solar company, developing, owning, and operating distributed energy and battery energy storage systems that deliver locally generated power through a more resilient and secure electric grid. By combining financial innovation with industry-leading execution, Summit Ridge has become one of the fastest-growing energy companies in America, with more than 3 GW of solar and energy storage projects operating and in development nationwide.
Since launching in 2017, Summit Ridge has raised over $6 billion in project capital to finance more than 250 facilities, delivering energy savings to 60,000+ homes and businesses while supporting American jobs, strengthening local economies, and advancing our nation’s energy independence.
Learn more at srenergy.com and connect with us on LinkedIn.
- EY Entrepreneur of The Year Award
- Steve Raeder