San Bernardino Entrepreneurs named finalists for Spirit of the Entrepreneur Awards

Four local entrepreneurs have been named finalists in the race to win this year’s coveted Spirit of the Entrepreneur Award. Roberta Albano with California Curb Appeal Real Property Specialists, Eric Goodman with MVS, Inc., Matthew Wilson and Maya Ivanova with Wilson Ivanova Certified Public Accountants, Inc., and Jose Rodriguez with Rescue a Generation Inc. were among the list of 34 finalists announced by the Randall W. Lewis Center for Entrepreneurship (RLCE) at Cal State San Bernardino and Premier Sponsor U.S. Bank.

All the finalists for the event will compete for the Spirit of the Entrepreneur award in eight (8) different categories at the black-tie gala on November 12th at the Riverside Convention Center in Riverside.

“The finalists represent an incredibly talented group of entrepreneurs who exemplify the entrepreneurial spirit that defines the Inland Southern California region,” said Spirit Awards founder and RLCE Director Mike Stull. “Being selected from such a deep field of outstanding businesses is a significant achievement – congratulations to all the finalists!”

Meet the 2026 finalists:

DESIGN, ENGINEERING,CONSTRUCTION & REAL ESTATE ENTREPRENEUR

• • • California Curb Appeal Real Property Specialists – Roberta Albano – San Bernardino
    • Diamond Fire Protection LLC – Bryant Arias – Temecula
    • MC Electric – Elvia Chavez – Chino
    • Najera Environmental DBA 1 Stop Restoration – Christopher Dale Najera – Corona
    • Silver Creek Modular – Steve PonTell – Perris
    • Zienix Property Services – Suzie Murrish – Ontario

DISTRIBUTION & SPECIALTY COMMERCE ENTREPRENEUR

• • • Aziz Farms and The Packhouse at Aziz Farms – Mark & Nicole Tadros – Thermal
    • Cielo Blu, LLC – Kayla DiLullo – Chino
    • Inland Boat Center – James Mark Dakan – Lake Elsinore
    • MVS, Inc. – Eric Goodman – San Bernardino

EMERGING ENTREPRENEUR

• • • Apsidal – Amrit De – Riverside
    • BASEstud.io – Heidi Adams – Palm Springs
    • Benedetto Gelato (Benedetto LLC) – Andres Ferreira – Riverside

FOOD/HOSPITALITY/ENTERTAINMENT ENTREPRENEUR

• • • Batta Foods Inc. – Gagan and Aman Batta – Mira Loma
    • Cornerstone BBQ & Cluck N Moo – Anthony Colindres – Beaumont
    • Sumo Dog – Jeffrey Lunak – Palm Desert

GENERAL ENTREPRENEUR

• • • Big Fogg Inc. – Christopher Miehl – Murrieta
    • CMAX Sanitary Services – Frank Gutierrez – Ontario
    • Mex-American Tax Service – Eduardo Sanchez – Indio
    • Sundown Window Tint, Inc. – Zach Feenstra – Riverside

MANUFACTURING ENTREPRENEUR

• A19 Artisan Lighting – Cinnamon Alvarez Finken – Ontario
• Combustion Associates, Inc. (CAI) – Kusum Kavia – Corona
• Ecko Ice Products – Eric Rogers/Chris Hively – Ontario
• Embroidery In Motion – Liz Nicks – Riverside
• Phenix Technology, Inc. – Angel Sanchez, Jr – Riverside

SERVICE-BASED ENTREPRENEUR

• Beauregard Family Therapy Group – Jonathan Beauregard – Colton
• Business Telecommunication Systems – Larry and Terry LaVorgna – Corona
• Idea House & Co. – Matt Ryczek – La Verne
• Indrio Technologies Inc. – Ritobrata Sur – Riverside
• Katalyst Partners LLC – Michael “Mike” Hardy – San Dimas
• Wilson Ivanova Certified Public Accountants, Inc., APAC – Matthew Wilson / Maya Ivanova – San Bernardino

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR

• REAL Journey Academies – Alex Lucero – Ontario
• Rescue a Generation Inc. – Jose Rodriguez – San Bernardino
• Vet Phoenix – Manuel Gomez – Moreno Valley

Attendees can BOOK TICKETS ONLINE Starting October 7 with direct seat selection for the 2026 Spirit of the Entrepreneur Awards gala event. Ticket prices for the black-tie event range from $165 to $250 each + fees.

A portion of the proceeds from the Spirit of the Entrepreneur event benefit the Spirit of the Entrepreneur Scholarship established by Dr. Mike Stull, Director of the Randall W. Lewis Center for Entrepreneurship at California State University, San Bernardino. The scholarship is awarded to vetted and deserving entrepreneurship students from CSUSB’s School of Entrepreneurship, to assist them in achieving their degree.

The Spirit of the Entrepreneur event is presented by the Randall W. Lewis Center for Entrepreneurship (RLCE), U.S. Bank, and the Jack H. Brown College of Business & Public Administration at California State University San Bernardino and sponsored by a wide range of local organizations including:

• • DIAMOND SPONSOR Wells Fargo
  • PLATINUM SPONSORS Best Best & Krieger LLP, Southern California News Group, Inland Empire Magazine and 15 Birds Productions.
  • GOLD SPONSORS Varner & Brandt LLP, Riverside County Office of Economic Development, San Bernardino County Economic Development, JP Morgan Chase, Desmond & Louis, and PNC Bank
  • SILVER SPONSORS AmPac Business Capital
  • JUDGING RECEPTION SPONSOR McKell Partners Wealth Management
  • VIP RECEPTION SPONSOR U.S. Bank
  • WELCOME EXPERIENCE SPONSOR Bank of America
  • GALA RECEPTION HOST Wells Fargo
  • AFTER PARTY SPONSOR Customers Bank