Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) announced that Christopher Barnett, Founder of ABA Centers, the nation’s fastest growing autism care provider, has been named the Entrepreneur Of The Year^® 2024 National Overall Award winner.

For nearly 40 years, the Entrepreneur Of The Year program has celebrated the bold leaders who disrupt markets, revolutionize industries and transform lives. Mr. Barnett was chosen as the national overall winner by an independent panel of 38 judges from a group of 214 Entrepreneur Of The Year regional winners, representing 185 companies across the US. He has built a remarkable business that demonstrates innovation and also has a significant positive impact, providing hope for families and continuing to challenge the current autism care market.

ABA Centers was founded from Mr. Barnett’s personal experience in trying to acquire a diagnosis and then quality care for his own daughter on the spectrum, who first spent years dealing with a misdiagnosis and missing out on the proper treatment that she desperately needed. Mr. Barnett was able to see what was available in terms of autism care from a parent’s perspective. The inadequacies, the lack of services available, and the long wait lists that families experienced were infuriating and simply unacceptable.

“I’m honored to accept this award. This started with an idea four years ago. I looked at my wife, and I said, ‘What’s available in the autism market for our daughter isn’t good enough. And I think we can do better,’” remarked Mr. Barnett during the awards ceremony. “We have this passionate and committed team that worked tirelessly to improve lives, and I accept this award on behalf of them because their work is meaningful. We sit in these rooms, and we talk about EBITDA, and it’s great, and I’m not going to vilify making money and sustainability. But what my team members do is even more. They get to impact lives every day all over the country. There are kids with autism who can’t get access to services, and there’s just not enough out there. So I am honored to accept this award because it’s a validation of 2,000 team members who are giving every day of their lives to change other lives.”

Early diagnosis is critical for children on the autism spectrum, which affects 1 out of every 36 children in the United States. The national average for a child to receive autism care is more than four months, with some waiting several years. ABA Centers slashed the standard wait time and typically has a child in service within 47 days from the time initial contact is made with the organization. ABA Centers operates on a unique value proposition of meeting the client where they are, both developmentally and geographically, offering in-clinic and in-home therapy on nights, weekends, and whenever services are needed.

Mr. Barnett recognizes that employees are the heart of the organization and places a strong emphasis on providing better pay, internal career advancement opportunities and employee development programs. Beyond his focus on nurturing talented practitioners, Mr. Barnett has a constant eye on clinical innovations. A strong believer in leveraging data to provide better care, he’s made significant investments in AI to incubate cutting-edge software within ABA Centers. The success of the company has always been more than a professional goal for him and ABA Centers was founded as – and remains – a mission-driven organization, where every employee from the C-suite to the coordinators is dedicated to making a lasting impact in the lives of autistic children and their families.

This award comes on the heels of ABA Centers making its debut on this year’s Inc. 5000 as the No. 5 fastest growing private company in America due to an outstanding revenue growth of 32,192 percent in the three-year period assessed for the list. A de novo and self-funded growth strategy set ABA Centers apart – and ahead – of thousands of other enterprises vying for a spot on this highly coveted line-up. The organization has carved out a self-sufficient path to success that has proven to be substantial and sustainable, without any private equity investment, nor any significant debt financing.

This growth was spurred in part to the company’s geographic expansion. This year, ABA Centers strengthened its footprint along the East Coast and expanded westward, now providing evidence-backed autism care in 31 service markets throughout 10 states. Within these markets, ABA Centers currently operates 22 physical autism care centers, with plans to open nearly 40 new locations throughout the coming New Year.

Doubling down on disruption for the greater good, Mr. Barnett founded The Christopher M. Barnett Family Foundation earlier this year. This organization is dedicated to addressing the critical needs of communities through strategic partnerships, grantmaking initiatives, and targeted interventions with a focus on five main pillars: ensuring stable housing for all, alleviating food insecurity, supporting individuals with developmental disabilities, fostering opportunities for underprivileged children, and advocating for women’s empowerment.

Winners were selected by a panel of independent judges comprised of entrepreneurs and other respected business leaders from across the US. The candidates were evaluated based on their demonstration of building long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact, among other core contributions and attributes. The program honors original founders who grew their business from inception; visionary CEOs who transformed existing companies with innovation, and family business leaders who modernized legacy models for future success.

“Entrepreneur Of The Year honors leaders that are setting new standards in every part of their lives — in their businesses, communities, and overall industries. Christopher has certainly earned his place among an extraordinarily elite group of alumni,” said Andrew (AJ) Jordan, EY Americas Entrepreneur Of The Year Director. “Christopher saw a real problem in our society — the way we diagnose and treat autism, and set after addressing it with grit, creativity and passion. He has built an innovative, disruptive business that has set new standards for autism health care. We are thrilled to celebrate him as the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 National Overall Award winner.”

The National winners were announced during a celebration held at the Strategic Growth Forum®, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies. All regional and national winners who were celebrated this year are lifetime members of an esteemed community of award winners, with exclusive, continued access to the experience, insight and wisdom of fellow alumni and other ecosystem members in nearly 80 countries — all supported by the full suite of EY resources.

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards include presenting sponsors PNC Bank, Cresa, Marsh USA, SAP and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

Learn more about the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 National honorees.

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 80 countries and territories 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 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, multidisciplinary 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.