Fayetteville exec Malloy a regional EY Entrepreneur of the Year winner

Ernst & Young LLP (EY) has named Fayetteville businessman Carter Malloy its 2023 Entrepreneur of the Year for the program’s Southwest Region. Malloy is the founder and CEO of AcreTrader, a land investment and technology company. EY announced the award on June 24 in Dallas.

“It’s an incredible honor to be selected for this award and to represent our region as a hub of innovation and growth,” Malloy said in a statement. “I’m deeply grateful to our team at AcreTrader and the broader business community for continually inspiring and supporting our company’s mission of bringing transparency to the land market.”

Malloy was one of 45 business leaders from companies across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas considered for the award. Independent judges selected the finalists for their innovation, financial performance and personal commitment. They come from a variety of industries, including real estate, healthcare, retail and technology.

Three of the finalists were from the Natural State:

• Malloy
• Matt Wadiak, Cooks Venture; Decatur
• Dave Wengel, iDatify; Little Rock

As a regional winner, Malloy will be considered by the national judges for the Entrepreneur Of The Year national awards, which will be presented 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 program has recognized more than 11,000 entrepreneurs throughout the U.S. since its inception in 1986. It has grown to recognize business leaders across 145 cities in more than 60 countries.

AcreTrader has approximately 90 employees and has completed farmland investments totaling around $400 million across 40,000 acres since its establishment in 2018.