Ernst & Young has named 16 executives from 15 companies as winners of its 2022 Entrepreneur of the Year for the Central South Region.
However, only three are from the Houston area, a stark difference from previous years.
The other winners on the list are based in Austin, Brenham, San Antonio and Hutto, Texas. The Central South region also includes Louisiana and Mississippi, according to EY’s website, but no executives from those states made the cut.
Previously, Central Texas was separate from what was then known as the Gulf Coast region, which included the Houston area, Louisiana and Mississippi. In announcing the Central South finalists, EY did not address the change. North and West Texas are in the Central Plains region, which also includes Arkansas, Oklahoma and Wichita, Kansas.
The Houston-area 2022 Central South winners are:
Jamie Welch, president and CEO of Kinetik Holdings Inc., Houston
Kinetik was formed through the merger of Houston-based Altus Midstream Co. and Midland, Texas-based BCP Raptor Holdco LP earlier this year. While headquartered in Midland, Kinetik maintains a significant presence in Houston, where the companies originally said the corporate leadership would be based.