Plum ProExteriors' Founder, Yuk Slyvka, Named 2026 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® New England Finalist by EY.

The Story Behind the Nomination Is Unlike Anything You've Heard.

Ukrainian immigrant entrepreneur recognized by EY for building a Massachusetts exterior renovation company rooted in craftsmanship, community impact, and employee-first leadership.

He grew up in Ukraine with no running water, was extorted by the Russian mob to claim his own visa, and arrived in America owing money to the people who helped him get here.

Today, Yuk Slyvka is headed to a black-tie EY awards gala in Boston — and he's bringing 8 years of grit, 500+ projects, and one of the most decorated exterior renovation companies in New England with him.

WELLESLEY, Mass., June 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Plum ProExteriors announces that its founder and president, Yuk Slyvka, has been named a 2026 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® New England regional finalist by Ernst & Young. Slyvka will attend the program's prestigious black-tie awards gala in Boston this June, where the regional winner will be announced.

Founded in 1986, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year^® program is one of the most respected business honors in the United States — and regional winners advance to the national competition.

The nomination puts Slyvka alongside nationally recognized companies including SharkNinja — maker of the Shark and Ninja product lines — and Poppy Soda, among other prominent New England finalists. What separates his story from the rest of the field isn't just what he's built. It's what he had to survive to build it.

"Being nominated for EY Entrepreneur Of The Year is a powerful reminder of how far this journey from Ukraine has come. I've always believed real leadership means building something bigger than yourself — supporting your team, serving your community, and sharing your own jacket in the rain, even if you get wet."— Yuk Slyvka, Founder & President, Plum ProExteriors

FROM UKRAINE TO BOSTON: THE STORY BEHIND THE NOMINATION

Yuk Slyvka grew up on a farm in a small village called Ivanivtsi in Chernivetska Oblast, Ukraine where there was no running water piped to the house. Baths were taken outside, in a tub, through his entire childhood. As a teenager, he had two water bubblers that he used to supply clean drinking water to the farming families around him. It wasn't a business. It was a kid who saw a problem and tried to help.

When he entered the U.S. Diversity Visa Lottery and won, organized crime got there first. The Russian mob had applied for the lottery in his name without his knowledge and held the confirmation code hostage. When Yuk went to claim his visa, officials told him plainly: no confirmation code, no visa. He sold his two water bubblers for a couple hundred dollars, borrowed what else he needed, paid the mob, got the code, and came to America.

He arrived owing money to the people who helped him get here. He went straight to work as a laborer for a siding and exterior renovation company. No shortcuts. No connections. Just work.

WHAT HE BUILT

Over 8 years, Slyvka grew Plum ProExteriors from a one-man operation into a full-service exterior renovation company serving homeowners and commercial clients across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The company has completed over 500 projects, provides work to more than 150 individuals, and carries a 5-star rating across every major review platform.

Plum ProExteriors holds elite-level certifications from more than 10 of the industry's most respected manufacturers — including James Hardie™ Elite Preferred Contractor, Andersen^® Certified Elite Contractor (one of only approximately 60 in the United States), TimberTech^® Pro Platinum, CertainTeed SELECT ShingleMaster™, and GAF Master Elite^® — a status held by fewer than 2% of roofing contractors in North America.

The company has also built one of the largest organic social media followings of any exterior contractor in New England, with individual videos reaching 3 to 4 million views and over 44,000 Instagram followers under @plumproexteriors.

THE EY VETTING PROCESS: NOTHING CEREMONIAL ABOUT IT

To reach finalist status, Plum ProExteriors opened its financial books entirely to EY judges, completed multiple rounds of interviews with employees, management, and Slyvka himself, and participated in an in-person interview at EY's offices on State Street in Boston. The program does not hand out nominations. It verifies them. Today, Yuk Slyvka is 31 years old. He is an American citizen. He brought his family here with full citizenship. His children were born in this country.

The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year^® New England awards gala takes place in Boston on June 16th, 2026.

FOLLOW THE JOURNEY

Follow Plum ProExteriors on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook at @plumproexteriors for behind-the-scenes content, project transformations, and updates from the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year^® journey. Learn more at www.plumproexteriors.com.

ABOUT PLUM PROEXTERIORS

Plum ProExteriors is a full-service exterior renovation company headquartered in Wellesley, Massachusetts, serving clients across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Specializing in roofing, siding, windows, doors, decks, and gutters, the company holds elite-level certifications from James Hardie™, Andersen^®, TimberTech^®, CertainTeed, GAF, Harvey, ProVia, and Barrier European Windows. Over 500 projects completed. 5-star rated. 2026 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year^® New England regional finalist.

www.plumproexteriors.com | @plumproexteriors

Plum ProExteriors | EY Entrepreneur Of The Year^® New England Regional Finalist 2026 | plumproexteriors.com

MEDIA CONTACT

Veronika Slyvka, Vice President, Plum ProExteriors, [email protected], (774) 329-4255, www.plumproexteriors.com, @plumproexteriors on Instagram, TikTok & Facebook

SOURCE Plum ProExteriors