A Dream of Small Detroit Business Expansion
Did you know that according to small business administration data, nearly 70% of business acquisitions fail to achieve their projected growth due to leadership misalignment and operational friction?
Scaling a company in a highly competitive market requires extraordinary resilience, vision, and a culture built on absolute trust. This week, the Detroit business community is celebrating a monumental achievement in leadership excellence: Austin Arksey, President & CEO of Metro Detroit-based National Trails, has officially been named an EY US Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2026 Michigan and Northwest Ohio Award winner. Selected from nearly 1,000 program participants, Arksey’s visionary leadership has transformed National Trails from a boutique, 5-bus family operation into a powerhouse logistics corporate engine wielding a luxury fleet of over 200 vehicles and employing 350+ corporate and operational professionals across Metro Detroit.
For Detroit executives, event coordinators, and procurement officers, partnering with National Trails means aligning your corporate transportation needs with a nationally recognized standard of business excellence.
From a Leap of Faith to a 200+ Vehicle Powerhouse
Every iconic Detroit business success story begins with a defining moment of courage. Graduating college into the bleak economic landscape of the 2008 recession, Austin Arksey accepted an entry-level, full-time position at a growing transportation firm. Though far removed from his academic field of study, he quickly mastered the foundational building blocks of the industry – moving fluidly from sales and reservations into operations management, before ultimately ascending to Chief Operations Officer.
In the spring of 2019, Arksey put everything on the line, investing his heart and soul into acquiring National Trails. At the time of purchase, the Southfield, MI business consisted of just 5 charter buses and 10 employees.
Through unwavering dedication, Arksey spearheaded a massive, compounding growth trajectory:
- Fleet Expansion: Scaling from a modest 5-bus footprint to a massive fleet of over 200 diverse luxury motorcoaches, corporate shuttles, school buses, and specialized transit vehicles.
- Job Creation: Expanding the internal team from 10 staff members to over 350 highly trained drivers, maintenance technicians, and logistics experts right here in Metro Detroit.
- Market Dominance: Solidifying National Trails as a premium, elite provider of corporate travel logistics, educational outings, and comprehensive group transportation.
The Core of Visionary Leadership: People First
The corporate world frequently studies what makes a Michigan business truly sustainable. At National Trails, the metric for success is rooted entirely in its culture. Arksey leads through an intentional framework of respect, teamwork, and a profound appreciation for every single team member.
By surrounding himself with industry experts and empowering them with autonomy, Arksey has fostered an ecosystem of inter-departmental collaboration. This collaborative approach directly translates to an elevated customer experience. In an industry defined by complex, moving parts, Arksey remains the driving force that motivates his staff to deliver excellence every day in serving their corporate clients, local communities, and passengers with pride.
“I’m deeply humbled by this award – however – I’ve been very clear with the judges and interviewers throughout this process. This award would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of our entire team. This award is not just a representation of me, but of our team in its entirety. But I’m often inspired by the words of Chris Gardner, ‘Don’t ever let somebody tell you, you can’t do something…You gotta dream. You gotta protect it.’” — Austin Arksey, President & CEO
Joining the Ranks of Global Icons
Now in its 41st year, the Ernst & Young LLP (EY) Entrepreneur Of The Year program is the gold standard for honoring business ingenuity, courage, and transformational leadership. By winning the regional title, Arksey joins an elite legacy of past global business honorees, including:
- Howard Schultz (Starbucks Coffee Company)
- Reid Hoffman & Jeff Weiner (LinkedIn Corp.)
- Jason McGowan (Crumbl Cookies)
- Arthur Blank (The Home Depot, Atlanta Falcons)
An independent panel of past winners and top CEOs selected Arksey based on long-term value creation, purpose-driven commitment, and significant socio-economic growth impact. As a regional winner, Arksey will advance to the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2026 National Awards this November at the annual Strategic Growth Forum®, where top-tier CEOs, Fortune 1000 executives, and global investors converge to shape the future of commerce.
Frequently Asked Questions About Detroit Business & Logistics
What is Entrepreneur Of The Year?
Founded in 1986, Entrepreneur Of The Year® has celebrated more than 11,000 ambitious visionaries who are leading successful, dynamic businesses in the US, and it has since expanded to nearly 60 countries and territories globally.
The US program consists of 17 regional programs whose panels of independent judges select the regional award winners every June. Those winners compete for national recognition at the Strategic Growth Forum® in November where national finalists and award winners are announced. The national overall winner represents the US at the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ competition.
-EY
For more information, visit ey.com/us/eoy.
Who won the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2026 for Michigan and Northwest Ohio?
Austin Arksey, the President & CEO of National Trails, was named an EY US Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2026 Michigan and Northwest Ohio Award winner on June 24, 2026. He was chosen from nearly 1,000 participants and 592 regional finalists.
Who does Entrepreneur Of The Year recognize?
Entrepreneur Of The Year honors 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.
This year’s Michigan and Northwest Ohio finalists represent all industries, including technology, consumer products, manufacturing, finance and more.
What business services does National Trails provide in Metro Detroit
National Trails is a premier transportation provider specializing in high-capacity logistics, luxury corporate event shuttles, airport transfers to DTW, school field trips and routes, and custom group transportation solutions across Greater Detroit and Michigan.
Where is National Trails headquartered?
While originally scaling its operations out of Southfield, MI, National Trails operates heavily across the entire Metro Detroit landscape, maintaining its primary corporate headquarters and advanced fleet management hub in Livonia, Michigan.
How fast has National Trails grown under its current leadership?
Since being acquired by Austin Arksey in 2019, National Trails has grown from a small family business of 5 charter buses and 10 employees into a major regional powerhouse featuring a luxury fleet of over 200 vehicles and a workforce of more than 350 employees of Metro Detroiters.
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