EY Names Gabriel Rio Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 Finalist
HOUSTON, April 21, 2025 – Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) announced the finalists for the prestigious Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 Gulf South Award. Now in its 40th 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 making a profound impact on communities. The program honors bold entrepreneurs whose innovations shape the future and pave the way for a thriving economy and a hopeful tomorrow.
The Gulf South program celebrates entrepreneurs from Central and South Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
An independent panel of judges selected Gabriel Rio, president and CEO of Milestone Environmental Services, LLC (“Milestone”), for his entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth, and lasting impact in building long-term value.
“Our team is what sets Milestone apart, and I'd like to thank all my colleagues for pushing us forward every day. It's truly an honor to be nominated, and to join such a tremendous group of finalists,” said Mr. Rio.
Established in 2014, Milestone now operates 14 energy waste disposal facilities and is the largest energy waste sequestration company in the United States (U.S.). Today, the company has grown to become a diversified environmental infrastructure services company with two business units, Milestone Carbon and Milestone Industrial, which focus on CO2 sequestration and industrial waste management, respectively.
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.
Regional award winners will be announced on June 12th during a special celebration in Houston 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.
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 U.S., and it has since expanded to nearly 60 countries globally.
The U.S. 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 U.S. at the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ competition. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.
About EY
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About Milestone
Milestone Environmental Services, headquartered in Houston, Texas, is a leading environmental services and carbon management company and the largest energy waste sequestration company in the United States. Milestone operates a leading integrated network of waste infrastructure that reduces the carbon impact of its customers by permanently sequestering hydrocarbon waste over a mile below the surface, preventing greenhouse gas emissions and water and ground contamination. Since 2014, Milestone has sequestered more than 3 million tons of CO2e through its injection process. Its subsidiary, Milestone Carbon, is devoted to helping multiple types of emitters meet their decarbonization goals by developing and operating injection sites that permanently and securely sequester CO2 below the surface. Milestone is a portfolio company of SK Capital Partners, a sector-focused, growth-oriented private investment firm comprised of a team with extensive operating, ownership, and investment experience.