Once again, the latest list of the world’s 100 fastest growing businesses owned or led by Texas A&M University graduates features Brazos Valley companies. This year, there are ten, including two in the top five for the first time since 2011.
The 2018 (and 14th) edition of the Aggie 100 was unveiled by A&M’s McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship at an awards dinner Friday night. The Center, part of the Mays Business School, has produced the Aggie 100 each year since 2005.
The Brazos Valley Economic Development Corporation is proud to have sponsored Friday night's opening reception.
The newest honorees were ranked by their percentage of compound annual growth in sales or revenues from 2015 to 2017.
The full Aggie 100 can be found at aggie100.com, but here is a look at the businesses on the list which are based in the Brazos Valley. Descriptions are based on information found on the companies’ websites.
#2: HANCOCK HOMES
Growth Rate: 142.96%
Location: College Station, TX
Industry: Construction
Founded: 2011
In 2006, Scott Hancock ’00 and his wife, Christina, moved into an old house near Downtown Bryan. Scott began remodeling as a hobby, but that quickly escalated into a full-scale renovations and a new career. Scott started Historic Renovations, a home remodeling company known for quality craftsmanship, exquisite details and exceptional customer service. The company expanded into new construction and changed its name to Hancock Custom Homes.
#5: STAND2LEARN (NOW VARIDESK EDUCATION)
Growth Rate: 107.24%
Location: College Station, TX
Industry: Educational Furniture
Founded: 2012
Stand2Learn touted itself as a revolutionary idea compared to “old school” thinking. The desks are stand-biased, giving students the option to sit or stand in a classroom resulting in improved mobility, increased alertness, better focus on instruction and greater calorie burn rates. Research shows standing height desks improve health by increasing calorie burn rates and a student’s engagement time by 15 percent. Dr. Mark Benden ’89, Michele Hasten Klumb ’92 and Mack Westbrook ’02 are the Aggie leadership honored.
#26: CR SYSTEMS/AGGIELAND ROOFING
Growth Rate: 55.63%
Location: Bryan, TX
Industry: Roofing
Founded: 1996
CR Systems is a commercial roofing company providing energy efficient roofing solutions for the greater Central Texas area. Their client list includes Walmart, Raytheon and Texas A&M University. After many years successfully operating CR Systems, Rayne Knight-Zingelmann ’90 and Raul Arellano created Aggieland Roofing to expand into residential roofing. The company installs shingles, metal and tile, providing high quality and trusted roofing solutions and services.
#28: BRAZOS WIFI
Growth Rate: 54.61%
Location: College Station, TX
Industry: Internet Service Provider
Founded: 2011
Previously known as Kurten WiFI, Brazos WiFi is a wireless internet service provider that grew out of the need for affordable, fast internet in the northeast portion of Brazos County. No phone lines are required, just a small antenna on the roof of a building to connect to a tower. Jim Bouse ’04 started the company because he wanted to provide a faster service to his neighbors. In the first 14 months, he grew from two towers to 12 due to customer demand.
#29: FROGSLAYER LLC
Growth Rate: 54.18%
Location: College Station, TX
Industry: Software
Founded: 2005
FrogSlayer, a custom software development firm, was founded in 2005. In 2012, Ross Morel ’10 took over as CEO of FrogSlayer, LLC. Today, FrogSlayer's College Station-based team of custom software professionals delivers custom web and mobile applications to help growing businesses across the U.S. get the tools they need to maintain growth and stay ahead of their competition.
#60: ECOZAPP
Growth Rate: 37.44%
Location: College Station, TX
Industry: Home Services
Founded: 2011
Joshua ’12 and Allison Zapalac ’12 originally focused EcoZapp on pest control services, but that portion of their work was acquired in 2017. Now, it is a full-service heating and air conditioning company offering installation and maintenance, and touting reliable service. In addition to providing and servicing equipment used to heat and cool homes, the company is committed to helping homeowners and businesses improve their air quality with eco-friendly solutions.
#65: TM5 PROPERTIES
Growth Rate: 35.79%
Location: Bryan, TX
Industry: Real Estate
Founded: 2010
After a successful football career that included being drafted into the NFL, Terrence Murphy ’05 became a serious investor in the real estate market. Since the real estate brokerage arm of TM5 was founded, they have completed more than 3,300 transactions and $400 million in total sales and leasing volume. They also have one of the highest transaction-per-agent ratios in the market as a boutique firm. Their core competency is Luxury Residential, Farm N Ranch and Investment Property Sales.
#84: DUNHAM ENGINEERING, INC.
Growth Rate: 28.91%
Location: College Station, TX
Industry: Structural & Corrosion Engineering
Founded: 1992
Founded as a water tank consulting firm, today Dunham Engineering provides a wide variety of structural, storage tank and corrosion engineering services throughout Texas, Oklahoma and surrounding states. They are currently licensed to provide engineering services in 11 states. They specialize in tanks, towers, buildings and bridges. Travis Tatum, P.E. ’11 and his team include engineers and inspectors who work from concept to start-up providing needed design and inspection services.
#89: CEO TECHNOLOGIES
Growth Rate: 27.31%
Location: College Station, TX
Industry: Technology
Founded: 2009
CEO Technology and owner John Stanfield ’03 offer a wide range of technology services for homes and offices, including affordable high-speed internet. The company has security monitoring, burglar and fire systems, video surveillance and access control. Home automation is also available. For businesses, CEO works with hospitality businesses, offering design, installation, integration and management of restaurant technology services.
#98: ECATHOLIC
Growth Rate: 25.44%
Location: College Station, TX
Industry: Software
Founded: 2005
While serving in a number of roles at churches, Josh Simmons ’00 was also creating websites for supplemental income to support his growing family. With the birth of his second child and 70-hour work weeks growing burdensome, Simmons combined his passions into designing custom Catholic websites. The company also offers options for online donations and payments, as well as live streaming. There are also branding packages available that go beyond the internet to include logo design and photography.