Blackhawk Specialty Tools, LLC (Blackhawk) President and CEO Billy Brown was honored as the 2014 Energy Services Entrepreneur Of The Year at the recent EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award Gala for the Gulf Coast area.

Brown founded Blackhawk in 2008 along with Dean Robichaux, Ron Robichaux and Lawrence Brown. Within two years of the company’s founding, Brown had to shift the company’s focus from the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) to the U.S. shale markets as a result of the GOM oil spill moratorium. Brown’s visionary shift allowed Blackhawk to employ its innovation and technology in a new market; and when GOM drilling resumed, allowed it to increase its strong market share.

Under Brown’s leadership, the company has become an industry leader, providing engineered cementing solutions and growing to more than 275 employees operating in multiple U.S. land districts and overseas.

“I’m honored to receive this prestigious award,” said Brown. “It is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of the entire Blackhawk team.”

An independent panel of judges, including previous award recipients, leading CEOs, private capital investors and other regional business leaders, selected one winner out the 41 finalists from the Gulf Coast area for each of the 10 categories. Regional award recipients are eligible for consideration for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year National Program. Award winners in each of the national categories, including the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala on Nov. 15 in Palm Springs, California. The awards are the culminating event of the EY Strategic Growth Forum ®, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.