EY US announces Dr. Martin Gross of Gross-Wen Technologies as an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2025 Heartland Award winner

Celebrating the bold leaders shaping the future through the world’s most ground-breaking companies

SLATER, IA, UNITED STATES, June 23, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) has announced that Dr. Martin Gross, CEO and founder of Gross-Wen Technologies, was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 Heartland Award winner. Entrepreneur Of The Year is the preeminent competitive awards program for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. For 40 years, EY US has celebrated ambitious entrepreneurs who are transforming industries, impacting communities, and creating long-term value.

Gross was chosen by an independent panel of past winners, top CEOs, and business leaders. Judges assessed candidates on long-term value creation, entrepreneurial spirit, purpose-driven commitment, and significant growth and impact.

“I am incredibly honored to receive the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 Heartland Award. This recognition reflects the dedication of our team and the innovative spirit that drives our mission to build sustainable wastewater treatment solutions. At Gross-Wen, we are proud to transform environmental challenges into opportunities for cleaner water, stronger communities, and a more resilient future,” said Gross.

Gross-Wen Technologies, based in Slater, Iowa, provides sustainable wastewater treatment solutions for municipalities and industries. The company’s Revolving Algal Biofilm (RAB) technology offers a low-energy, cost-effective approach to nutrient removal, contributing to cleaner waterways and stronger circular economies.

As a Heartland award winner, Gross is now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 National Awards. The national award winners, including the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced in November at the Strategic Growth Forum^®, one of the nation’s most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award in June 2026.

Entrepreneur Of The Year recognizes many different types of 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.

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Award Sponsors:
Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards include presenting sponsors PNC Bank, Cresa, LLC, Marsh McLennan Agency, and SAP. In Heartland, sponsors also include regional Platinum sponsor, Twin Cities Business, regional Gold sponsor, Padilla, and regional Silver sponsor, Brillect.

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 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 overall National winner represents the US at the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ competition. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.

About EY:
EY is building a better working world by creating new value for clients, people, society and the planet, while building trust in capital markets.

Enabled by data, AI and advanced technology, EY teams help clients shape the future with confidence and develop answers for the most pressing issues of today and tomorrow.

EY teams work across a full spectrum of services in assurance, consulting, tax, strategy and transactions. Fueled by sector insights, a globally connected, multi-disciplinary network and diverse ecosystem partners, EY teams can provide services in more than 150 countries and territories.

All in to shape the future with confidence.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

About Gross-Wen Technologies:
Gross-Wen Technologies is a climate and wastewater treatment technology company that uses algae instead of bacteria or chemicals to recover nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater. During the treatment process, the algae consume CO2, harmful greenhouse gases, from the atmosphere, making algae the most sustainable way to treat wastewater. The algae are later harvested to be used as slow-release fertilizer, in biofuels, or in other products. GWT’s patented algae-based water treatment solution, called the revolving algal biofilm™️ system (RAB™️), is considered the top algae treatment system in the world. Learn more at algae.com.

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Brittany Bowen
BPR International
+1 614-226-9542
brittanysabra@bpr.international
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