Michael Fallquist, a 1995 graduate of Mercer Island High School, is a winner in the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year program for the New York region. He is the founder and CEO of Viridian Energy, a leading provider of affordable green energy. He won the award in the Cleantech category in the New York region on June 19.

His leadership has brought Viridian exponential growth in its three years of operation, according to a press release, which says that “the company reaches over 200,000 people in seven eastern states.”

It is based in Norwalk, Conn.

“It is an honor to receive such a prestigious award,” Fallquist said in a news release from Ernst and Young LLP. “Viridian started as an idea to help individuals make a large, collective environmental impact by simply switching their energy supplier. It has turned into so much more.”

Fallquist also has a bachelor’s degree from Colgate University and an M.B.A. from Cornell University.

The Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award celebrates the world’s most successful and dynamic businesses. Past winners include Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com, Michael Dell of Dell Inc. and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn.