Gross-Wen Technologies CEO earns entrepreneur of the year award

Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) 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 a 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,” said Gross in a press release. “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.”

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.