Liberty Tire Recycling, the leading tire recycler in North America, announced that CEO Thomas Womble has been named a winner of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year.
Thomas Womble, Chief Executive Officer of Liberty Tire Recycling, has been named a recipient of the prestigious EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Award. The honor celebrates entrepreneurs who are building and leading companies with vision, growth, and lasting impact.
Presented by Ernst & Young LLP (EY US), the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2026 East Central Award recognizes visionary business leaders who are driving growth, innovation and long-term value creation. Womble was selected by an independent panel of judges for his leadership of Liberty Tire Recycling, the largest tire recycling company in North America and for his role in advancing sustainable solutions for end-of-life tires across the industry.
“Being recognized as Entrepreneur of the Year is one of the highlights of my entire career,” said Womble. “I think entrepreneurship is what the American dream is built on. It’s certainly what my DNA is built on, and to be honored with such people that are making such a difference in the world is quite an achievement.”
The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year award recognizes entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in areas such as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.
“Through their vision, focus and commitment to growth, they are building companies that move markets forward, create opportunities for their teams and strengthen the communities around them,” said Shannon Crone, Entrepreneur Of The Year East Central Program Co-Director and EY Executive Director.
Under Womble’s leadership, Liberty has expanded from a company concentrated on the East Coast and Midwest to the only coast-to-coast integrated tire recycler in North America. Liberty continues to partner and innovate to find new and sustainable uses for end-of-life tire materials.
Recent examples include:
- Co-founded the Tire Recycling Foundation (TRF) and served on its Board of Directors.
- Developed and released the first Sustainability Report ever published by a tire recycling company.
- Built strategic partnerships to collect and recycle challenging types of tires, including bicycle and mining tires, in the U.S. and Canada.
Founded in 1986, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year program celebrates entrepreneurs and business leaders whose companies are transforming industries and creating long-term economic and social impact. Regional winners are selected through a rigorous evaluation process that considers business growth, innovation, leadership, and commitment to purpose.
About Liberty Tire Recycling
Liberty is committed to partnering with industry leaders to help inspire a more sustainable planet. Liberty is continuously striving to find new and better ways to reclaim, recycle, reuse, and repurpose the more than 215 million end-of-life tires the Company collects annually for renewable solutions that benefit the long-term health of the world. As the market leader in tire recycling management in North America, diverting more than 4.5 billion pounds of rubber from landfills each year, Liberty’s passion is to make the world a better place to live for generations to come by boldly changing the way the industry approaches sustainability. Learn more at www.libertytire.com.
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