Welcome to the Jacksonville Daily Record’s Top Entrepreneurs issue, where today we spotlight 10 ambitious Northeast Florida business leaders.
These nine finalists and one legend differ in their backgrounds, career fields and ages, but they share the spirit that prompted all of them to venture into leading their own business.
This year’s nine entrepreneurs, selected from a list of nominees from the business community, fall into three revenue categories: Up to $2 million; $2 million to $15 million; and more than $15 million. For these nine, we focused on individuals who founded locally based companies, applied to be selected and provided revenue and workforce numbers for the prior three years.
Our 2026 legend, as in past years, was chosen by our newsroom in an unsolicited process.
To date, the Daily Record roster of Top Entrepreneurs and Legends reaches 70.
We thank this year’s honorees for sharing your stories with our readers.
Congratulations to all.
See The Top Entrepreneurs section here.
The Legend: Steve Pajcic, Pajcic & Pajcic: Entrpreneur legend. Story here.
Brian Putzke: Momentum Transportation USA Inc: 'Obsess' over your employees. Story here.
Nathan Stuart: Intracoastal Fisheries Hospitality: Nathan Stuart grows his seafood restaurant fleet. Story here.
Kurt Stein: HouseScan Inspections: Industry frustrations fueled his innovation. Story here.
Joshua Davis: JanSan: Cleaning Jacksonville one company at a time. Story here.
Michelle Calcote King: Reputation Ink: Specializing in law sets her PR firm apart. Story here.
Jason Pratt: Prattify: Doing business with 'energized entrepreneurs.' Story here.
Tracy Riley: Tracy Riley Counseling: 'Grab somebody's hand on the way up.' Story here.
Steven Bennett: Field ops of Jacksonville: Stripping sports fields for schools and superstars. Story here.
Laura Davis: Pure life photography: Building confidence and clientele with a camera. Story here.