BELFOR CEO Wins 2026 Entrepreneur of the Year Award

Congratulations to BELFOR’s CEO, Sheldon Yellen, on being named Entrepreneur of the Year® 2026 Michigan and Northwest Ohio by Ernst & Young!

The Ernst & Young (EY) Entrepreneur of the Year awards recognize visionary leaders from a wide range of businesses whose companies and leadership are reshaping their industries. Sheldon was one of the 11 entrepreneurs honored in the Michigan and Northwest Ohio region. Among the region’s 2026 winners, he is the only leader from the restoration, construction, and related industries, while others come from diverse sectors such as beauty, healthcare, security, and snack foods.

EY’s regional winners are chosen by an independent panel of past winners, CEOs, and business leaders who evaluate nominees on a variety of characteristics and metrics, including “long-term value creation, entrepreneurial spirit, purpose-driven commitment, and significant growth and impact.” 

As a regional winner, Sheldon will also automatically be entered into consideration for EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year® National Awards, which are presented in November. 

About EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year® Program

“[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.” 

Sheldon’s unique journey to becoming CEO of BELFOR incorporates a bit of each of these elements. With hard work, determination, and an unconventional approach to leadership, he took what started as a small, family-owned reconstruction business in Michigan and helped transform it into what BELFOR is today: a $3+ billion industry leader and the world’s largest property restoration company.

We’re proud to have Sheldon as our own “visionary leader,” and we wish him the best of luck in the Entrepreneur of the Year 2026 National Awards!

Read the full announcement & see the list of winners: EY.com | View PDF