Advanced Network Solutions
IT integration & consulting
Nashville
www.ansolutions.com
Sonny Clark, president
This 12-person firm helps clients resolve challenges relating to information technology systems integration, LAN and WAN, IP telephony, wireless services and network security. A Microsoft- and Cisco-certified partner, Advanced Network Solutions has an especially strong foothold in banking—it supports roughly 30 community banks with full-service IT. Additionally, it provides reseller services to IT infrastructure manufacturers. In the future, the company sees growth opportunities in greater IP telephony sales, additional community bank clients and networking clients, and a rising demand for spyware solutions.

Advent Marketing Results
Displays, display graphics
Nashville
www.adventresults.com
John Roberson, president
John Roberson has plied his marketing skills as brand manager of Johnston & Murphy shoes, co-founder of Dalmatian Press and co-owner of children’s book publisher The Clever Factory. Owner of Advent since late 2000, he has rebuilt and expanded on the displays business created by Tom Williams and severely affected by the post-9/11 fall-off in convention activity. Advent provides retail, architectural and trade show displays. Roberson expects future growth opportunities to be found in providing kiosks and in taking advantage of new graphic systems and materials.

Aluminum Resources
Metals distribution & recycling
Smyrna
www.aluminumresources.com
David A. Morris, CEO
For 18 years, co-founders David and Carol Morris have focused on smaller manufacturers whose needs for aluminum and non-ferrous metals are too limited to maintain the attention of large metals producers. From its Smyrna heaquarters, Aluminum Resources markets and distributes for such producers as Alcoa, Alcan and I. Schumann to nearly all states east of the Rockies. End users of the company’s products include makers of all sorts of goods needing finished casting, such as auto parts, industrial machinery, housewares and appliances.

America’s PowerSports
Motorcycle, ATV, snowmobile retailing
Brentwood
www.americaspowersports.com
Clark Vitulli, CEO
Automotive and boating executive Clark Vitulli teamed with private equity firm Wind Point Partners in 1998 to begin assembling an expansive dealer network in the powersports industry. Today, its 15 dealerships across the country generate $145 million of annual revenue from sales of Suzuki, Harley-Davidson, Honda, BMW, SeaDoo and other branded craft. Profitable since 1999, America’s PowerSports benefits from the increasing number of dealership owners in need of exit strategies, which helped lift the company’s revenue by a third last year.

Audio Enhancers
Car audio speaker cabinets
Ardmore
www.audioenhancers.com
Ted & Johanna Sharp, co-owners
Founded 23 years ago in Lake Charles, La., Audio Enhancers was the result of Ted Sharp’s roommate asking him to construct 6”x9” boxes for his car speakers after Sharp had built a waterbed from scratch. Today located due south of Nashville on the Alabama border, the company supplies car speaker cabinets to 750 dealers, six distributors and 650 Circuit City stores. Revenue has risen 25% annually in recent years. Sharp sees future growth coming from more work for original equipment manufacturers and from new catalogs and bulk mailers.

Bohan Agency
Advertising, marketing
Nashville
www.bohanideas.com
David Bohan, CEO
Total billings at the 57-person advertising agency rose 48% last year, and the news since then continues to be positive. Already serving such clients as Nashville’s Hermitage Hotel, HCA’s MidAmerica division and the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism, in January it won the $4.5 million (in annual billings) account for The Greenbrier resort in White Sulpher Springs, W.Va. Bohan won 32 ADDY awards in the Nashville competition and four gold ADDY awards in the district. Ten of its TV commercials and campaigns won international TELLY awards.

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals
Specialty pharmaceuticals
Nashville
www.cumberlandpharma.com
A.J. Kazimi, CEO
Six years after formation, sales and profits are accelerating at this developer and marketer of such products as Acetadote (an injectable treatment for acetaminophen overdoses), CeraLyte oral rehydrating solution and Kristalose, a prescription laxative. Cumberland acquires currently marketed and late-stage development pharmaceutical products for underserved physician segments. The 20-person company also is part-owner of Cumberland Emerging Technologies, an incubator of efforts to commercialize R&D from Vanderbilt and other organizations.

Cummings Signs
Sign manufacturing & installati
on Nashville
www.cummingssigns.com
Stephen Kerr, CEO
Acquired seven years ago from the Cummings family, the sign company has broadened its presence and now has outposts in Knoxville, Riverside, Ca., Dothan, Ala., and Louisville, Ky. Cummings is a fully integrated provider of sign products and services and counts among its clients Mitsubishi, Bank of America, Burger King, Yum Brands and Bed Bath & Beyond. The company was founded in 1946 by Thomas Cummings Jr. and rose to national prominence by making and installing Holiday Inns of America signage.

Des-Case Corp.
Contaminant control breathers
White House
www.des-case.com
Brian Gleason, president
From its headquarters 25 miles north of Nashville, Des-Case supplies air filter and water vapor removal systems through 115 distributors worldwide. The breathers eliminate moisture and contaminants from oil and other fluids, improving the performance of generators, hydraulic devices, and other equipment. Founded 22 years ago by filtration engineer Jim Waller, Des-Case intends to find future growth in new product introductions and alliances, and additional sales through private label partners Exxon Mobil and Chevron Texaco.

Environmental, Safety & Health
Environmental consulting, construction
Knoxville
www.eshinc.com
Bill Garibay, president
Last year was great for ESH—sales more than tripled as the Hispanic-owned, SBA 8(a) environmental consultant worked jobs across the nation. Founded in 1997 and now employing 50 people, ESH qualifies as a “disadvantaged business enterprise” for its Tennessee Department of Transportation contracts. It also provides training classes, mostly on meeting federal regulations. In 2001 and 2002, the company oversaw personnel exposure sampling and safety compliance at the Fresh Kills Landfill on Staten Island, where the World Trade Center debris was placed.

Essex Technology Group
Internet-based sales
Nashville
www.essextechgroup.com
Robert Echols Jr., CEO
In only its fourth year of operation, Essex Technology Group last year turned its first profit and reached total sales of $20 million. The company found its opportunity in the emergence of online marketplaces such as eBay, Amazon, Ubid and Overstock.com. It helps companies sell to consumers returned or close-out products, especially electronics. Essex has targeted 2005 revenue at $37 million, with top-line gains expected from selling additional products through more outlets and from expanding its reach in Canada.

Franklin American Mortgage
Mortgage banking
Franklin
www.franklinamerican.com
Dan Crockett, CEO
Contraction in the refinancing market nationally resulted in lower revenue for Franklin American last year, but its growth over the past several years remains strong. Its more than $50 million of revenue came from loans made across the United States—some issued directly by the company and others through mortgages underwritten, financed or serviced by Franklin American for other lenders and brokers. An Inc. 500 company for six straight years, Franklin American is developing a retail presence in Dallas this year.

Guy Brown Products
Office supply distribution
Brentwood
www.guybrown.com
Ashoke “Bappa” Mukherji, CEO
The manufacturer of recycled toner and ink-jet cartridges more than doubled revenue to $43 million last year. Federally certified as a Small Disadvantaged Busi-ness, Guy Brown got started in 1997 by leasing excess capacity from toner cartridge maker Nu-Kote International. Its startup was financed not with its founder’s private capital but that of its trade creditors. Profitable since 2003, Guy Brown employs 20 people in Brentwood and uses manufacturing facilities in Washington, New York and Texas.

Hiller Plumbing Co.
Plumbing, heating & cooling
Nashville
www.hillerplumbing.com
Jimmy Hiller, president
Begun 15 years ago as a plumbing installer at new construction sites, Hiller Plumbing has fleshed out its services and ramped up its revenue 75% last year to $11.1 million. In 2003, the company staffed up to provide institutional HVAC repair services. Last year, owner Jimmy Hiller expanded his plumbing services depart- ment, hired an estimator for new plumbing and HVAC projects and added $1 million in revenue from residential HVAC repair and replacement. The company stays busy with such commercial contracts as Publix, Kroger and First Tennessee.

The Incentive House
Incentive & reward programs
Knoxville
www.theincentivehouse.com
Ron Phillips, president
Sales of logo merchandise and travel services are the revenue drivers of The Incentive House. This four-year-old firm operates reward programs that recognize participation and achievement by employees and customers. Companies such as Focus Golf Systems, a licensee of Dunlop golf equipment, is a client, as are Tennessee Farmers Insurance and Horne Radio. Owner Ron Phillips intends to pump annual revenue above a recent $789,000 in part by targeting sports teams and leagues for apparel and other items.

Inferno
Advertising, marketing, PR
Memphis
www.creativeinferno.com
Dan O’Brien, Tim Sellers & Michael Overton, partners
Six years after leaving Memphis ad agency Conaway Brown to start Inferno, the firm’s partners oversaw nearly $15 million in capitalized bookings last year, more than double the previous 12 months. Recent engagements include strategic support of Smith & Nephew Orthopaedics, branding services for Primacy Relocation and helping launch Paragon National Bank with the slogan “local banking from locals.” The firm’s 30 employees work in offices in the historic Orgill Brothers Hardware and Saddlery Warehouse in Memphis’ South Bluffs community.

InfoSystems
Network integration services
Chattanooga
www.infosystems.biz
Clay Hales, president
This 45-person firm pushed up sales last year by 30% to $15 million on the strength of the wide range of business computer network issues it addresses: network operating systems, servers, workstations, data cabling, and Internet security and connectivity. Founded 11 years ago by Clay Hales and two other ex-employees of A&A Business Systems, InfoSystems sees future growth oppor- tunities in business computer and storage virtualization, and providing more end-to-end solutions. It is a IBM Premier Business Partner and a Microsoft Gold Partner.

Interactive Solutions
Video conferencing, A/V system sales & support
Memphis
www.isitn.com
Jay Myers, CEO
Doubling revenue last year to $10 million, the 30-person company now operates offices in Memphis, Franklin, Jackson, Knoxville Birmingham and Jackson, Miss. ISI helps clients with video conferencing, telemedicine and audiovisual needs, and provides boardroom design services. Its clients include FedEx, the NFIB and the Tennessee Board of Regents. Founded in 1996 by CEO Jay Myers, the company expects to further ramp up growth in part by utilizing new audiovisual equipment and entering new geographic markets, such as Florida and Georgia.

Iostudio
Publishing, communications
Nashville
www.iostudio.com
Mitch Powers, president
2004 was superb for Iostudio. Just three years after being founded by four refugees from a failed telecom startup, the company saw its revenue more than triple to $2 million on the strength of its GX: The Guard Experience, a bi-monthly magazine it launched for Army National Guard members and their families. Lauded by publishing industry experts, GX is sent to 150,000 readers and is to be just the first of several planned national publications by Iostudio.

Jewelry Television
Jewelry, gemstone retailing
Knoxville
www.jewelrytelevision.com
Robert Hall, CEO
Growing 27% a year to a recent $350 million, sales at Jewelry Television are rising faster than at any other home shopping network in America. Now the nation’s 19th largest retailer of fine jewelry, the network was founded in Greeneville in 1993 as America’s Collectibles Network by former employees of then-Nashville-based Shop At Home. Jewelry Television is building a new 50-acre campus in Knox County that will accommodate revenue of $1 billion and 3,000 employees by 2010.

Link2Gov
Government transaction processing
Nashville
www.link2gov.com
Ed Braswell, CEO
Nine years after its founding, Link2Gov reached profitability last year on revenue of $16.5 million. Thanks to several major agreements reached the past couple years, including providing payment processing services for the IRS, the company expects 2005 to be its third-straight year of 100%+ revenue growth. Already busy providing electronic payment options for utility bills, vehicle registrations, driver’s licenses, speeding tickets and business permits, the company is now trying to capitalize on a possible growth opportunity in health care payment processing.

The Links Group
Manufacturing support services
Knoxville
www.linksgroup.net
Roy Marshall & Paul Sorey, partners
If you run a manufacturing operation, you might think you know the prevailing wage for each position in your plant. As The Links Group is demonstrating, you very well may be wrong. Roy Marshall and Paul Sorey employ their lengthy backgrounds in manufacturing to help clients lower their costs. Through their “skill cost alignment” process, they advise and sometimes manage operations to lower expenses. For The Links Group, cutting their clients’ expenses increased their own revenue last year 78% to $2.7 million.

Mailnet Services
Web-based direct marketing
Franklin
www.mailnetexpress.com
Don Leyrer, CEO
Letter shop owner Bill Brennan created the company in 1997 to harness the powers of the Internet to cut the cost and time of direct mailings, partly through database cleaning. Working with such clients as Arnold Palmer Golf Management and La Costa Resort and Spa, it now handles direct mailings, e-mail campaigns and fax messaging. The franchise, grocery and automotive industries are growing markets for Mailnet Services, which eyes opportunities with financial planners, publishers, and HVAC dealers and retailers, and has begun operating data warehouses for clients.

Ozburn-Hessey Logistics
Third-party logistics
Nashville
www.ohlogistics.com
Scott McWilliams, CEO
The nation’s sixth largest third-party logistics provider with 19 million square feet of warehouse space, OHL is growing its top line at a 77% clip, reaching $313 million last year. It expects internal annual growth of 12-15%, with select acquisitions bumping that number higher. A successor of Ozburn-Hessey Storage, which was founded in 1951, OHL was created in 1996 and picked up bigger mass and financial muscle in 2001 when it combined with DLJ Real Estate Capital’s logistics business. OHL employs 2,600 people in 20 states.

Paradigm Group
Group insurance, employee benefits
Nashville
www.paradigmgroup.net
Bob Levy, president
Since forming Paradigm Group in 1996, Bob Levy has grown his benefits firm by working with such clients as LifeWay Christian Resources, St. Thomas Medical Group and Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee. The 15-person company assists employers in planning, purchasing, implementing and managing employee benefit programs. A former executive with Prudential Healthcare in Nashville, Levy expects Paradigm to find future growth partly by developing new product lines and marketing techniques.

Passport Health Communications
Health Care IT
Franklin
www.passporthealth.com
Jim Lackey, CEO
Serving more than 1,200 hospitals and 1,500 large physician groups, Passport Health Communications helps its clients reduce denied claims and the associated write-offs. Its software does this by facilitating accurate patient registration, billing, collections and self-pay reimbursement. Created by Chief Technology Officer Dan Proctor in 1996, Passport is integrating the recent acquisition of Healthworks Alliance, whose Compliance Checker software program helps identify and eliminate denied claims and expands Passport’s product line to include medical necessity.

PeopleTech
Audiovisual support & equipment
Nashville
www.peopletechevents.com
Clay Sifford, CEO
As long as people need to meet in large groups, PeopleTech should have a client base. The Nashville company provides the production and content services for conventions and corporate meetings across the country. Expected sales for the current year should rise by two-thirds over last year, thanks in part to PeopleTech’s success in signing some of the largest medical meetings in the United States. The profitable, 50-person company uses sophisticated media, equipment and technical services to help companies effectively communicate their messages.

Plan Express
Construction document management
Memphis
www.planexpress.net
DeWayne Adamson, CEO
Construction projects involve ever-changing blueprints and plans. Making sure that the general contractor and its subcontractors, the property owner and architect have access to the most current plans is Plan Express. Customers can have documents scanned or uploaded into an online plan room where they can be viewed, ordered in print format and delivered by the next morning. Its large-format scanners and printers create print documents that are used on site. Last year, Plan Express secured $5 million of growth capital from SSM Ventures and Frontier Capital.

Primacy Relocation
Employee relocation services
Memphis
www.primacy.com
Matt Spinolo, CEO
Climbing the national or global corporate ladder usually requires a readiness to move to other cities as opportunities present themselves. Primacy Relocation works on behalf of organizations to make this process as painless as possible for their employees. From home buyouts and sales, to the transport of household goods and the coordination of immigration issues, the company is a one-stop shop. Now active throughout the Western Hemi-sphere, Europe and the Pacific Rim, Primacy’s $45 million in revenue makes it one of the largest employee relocation firms in the world.

Protomet
Precision manufacturing and design
Oak Ridge
www.protomet.com
Jeff Bohanan, CEO
Companies like IdleAire Technolo-gies and ARC Automotive look to Protomet when they need pieces of manufacturing equipment requiring careful design. Protomet specializes in helping customers bring their products to market more quickly. It provides manufacturing advice and services that lower costs and improve designs. Protomet has designed or made such parts as valve components, gear shift levers and fuel pump housings. A current project has it working with Oak Ridge National Lab to commercialize a new technology.

PureSafety
Online safety training, risk management
Nashville
www.puresafety.com
Bill Grana, CEO
In response to its first fatal accident in 66 years, Thompson Machinery Commerce Corp. developed an Internet- based system for tracking compliance with safety training initiatives. Spun out as an independent company in 1999, PureSafety now helps companies improve their safety programs in addition to monitoring them. It maintains an extensive library of training coursework that is now used by more than 350 companies. Sales rose more than 50% last year, as the company has moved into training for HR, wellness and industrial skills.

Quality Systems
Resurfacing products
Nashville
www.permacrete.com
George Henderson, CEO
Sales rose 25% last year to $4.7 million as the number of dealers carrying Quality System’s PermaCrete products rose above 1,000. Driveways, patios, garages, pools and walls are just some of the applications for the extremely durable and colorful resurfacing material. The 15-year-old company now employs 34 people and has worldwide reach. Founder George Henderson, a veteran of the construction business, spent two years working with chemists to develop Perma- Crete after being frustrated by his inability to find a product suitable for resurfacing his swimming pool deck.

R&J Feed & Farm Supply
General store, farm supplies
Jackson
Ginger Kemp, office manager
Anew store design, additional merchandise and warm customer relations are the factors R&J identifies as helping it achieve 25% annual sales growth in recent years. Founded in 1979 by Jimmy Stanford and Robert Ivy in what had been the Wayne Feed warehouse, R&J was modeled after the Purina Premier country stores. Currently employing 11 people, it stocks a wide variety of items, including inside and outside animal feed, bedding, clothing, jewelry, hay and gifts.

R.M. Moore Real Estate Co.
Commercial real estate
Knoxville
www.rmmoore.com
Roger M. Moore, president
Roger Moore followed in his father’s footsteps and ten years ago created his own commercial real estate brokerage. A veteran of the Atlanta real estate market, Moore later was responsible for leasing out 130,000 square feet at Franklin Square in Knoxville before starting his own firm in 1995. Now growing revenue at a 24% annual pace, R.M. Moore Real Estate is involved in East Tennessee commercial property sales and leasing, tenant acquisition, property management and advisory services.

Richland LLC
Industrial fabrication, manufacturing
Pulaski
www.richlandllc.com
James Greene, general manager
Beginning in 1999 as a steel warehouse supplying steel to walk-in customers and local industry, Richland LLC has rounded out its offerings to better serve its clientele in the automotive manufacturing, wastewater treatment, heating and cooling systems and other industries. The 57-person company today also provides custom steel fabricating, machinery installation and moving, and various services for piping, concrete and machine coolant systems. Among its growth opportunities is its role as a marketing, sales and fabrication partner of a company in Germany.

RMR INVESTMENT CO.
Property owner, developer
Memphis
Robert M. Rogers, chief manager
Twenty-one years after forming his company, Robert Rogers owns 74 properties, including 400+ acres of commercially zoned land in Jackson and 200+ acres in Starkville, Miss. A former colleague of the late General Services Administration chief Jay Solomon, Rogers has developed properties for such companies as Wal-Mart, Kroger, Hampton Inn and Marriott, and currently owns the Chili’s, Logan’s Roadhouse, Tower Records and Carmichael Place properties in Nashville’s West End area. RMR is developing shopping centers and hotels in Austin, Memphis, Nashville, Florida and Washington, D.C.

Safety and Ecology Corp.
Environmental and engineering services
Knoxville
www.sec-tn.com
Chris Leichtweis, CEO
The 420 employees of Safety and Ecology provide a broad array of remediation services for radiological and hazardous waste contaminated sites. Also providing rental and repair of environmental monitoring equipment, the 14-year-old company has been increasing revenue 32% annually, reaching $62 million last year. The company should benefit from an acceleration in the number of remediation and closure projects in the U.S. and U.K., more decontamination and decommissioning of reactors, and a growing demand for technical environmental support by businesses worldwide.

Saratoga Technologies
IT consulting
Johnson City
www.saratogaus.com
David Temple, president
In the four years since David Temple relocated the headquarters of Saratoga Technologies from South Africa to Johnson City, he has acquired eight East Tennessee IT companies. The result is a business proficient in networking, repair and service, telephony, security, imaging, cabling and hardware/software selections. With so many transactions and services, it’s no surprise that Saratoga has enjoyed average revenue growth of 65% in recent years. Initially funded with $500,000 from private investors, the company now employs 31 people.

Short Bark Industries
Auto components, apparel
Tellico Plains
www.shortbark.com
Lisa Janke, CEO
Revenue more than doubled last year to nearly $14 million, as the company applied its sewing capabilities to a wider range of products. Originally a cut-and-sew operation making camouflage pants led by Janke’s father, Short Bark now produces police uniforms, battlefield dress uniforms, and it sews higher margin items for the auto industry, such as car seats. Last October, it won a five-year, fixed-price contract with the U.S. Coast Guard to produce 1.6 million dress uniforms, pants and shirts.

SMS Holdings Corp.
Facility maintenance and security services
Nashville
www.smsholdings.com
Keith Wolken, chairman
Founded in 1988 as a provider of janitorial services to shopping centers and other large facilities, SMS Holdings now has units that provide various airport services for airlines (PrimeFlight), security services for malls (Valor Security), and baggage and passenger screening services at Kansas City International Airport for the Transportation Security Administration (FirstLine). Its core housekeeping unit services more than 120 clients in 30 states. The company’s revenue rose 16% last year to $229 million.

Spheris
Medical transcription services
Franklin
www.spheris.com
Steven Simpson, CEO
More than 5,000 Spheris associates across the country download from the Web audio recordings made by doctors. They type up the medical transcriptions and send them back via the Inter-net. This very basic business, using state-of-the-art information technology, is big business. Three years ago, Spheris had revenue of $18 million; last year, sales topped $152 million from more than 450 hospital systems and physician group practices. With several acquisitions under its belt, Spheris is now focusing on organic growth.

Statement Rendering Solutions
Print and mail document processing
Nashville
www.statementrendering.com
Gary Semanchik, CEO
Proceeds from the sale of an earlier business and a $500,000 loan backed by Cumberland Bank South provided Gary Semanchik with start-up capital for Statement Rendering Solutions. His clients transmit their distribution lists and invoice data to the company, which cleans the lists, prints the statements and mails them. Much of its recent annual 22% growth comes from forms and printing distributors across the country. After one year in expanded facilities, the company is considering opening two or three production centers to better serve distant metro areas in the U.S.

Sy.Med Development
Healthcare & HR software
Brentwood
www.symed.com
James P. Aylward, president & CEO
Funded 10 years ago with $475,000 from State Volunteer Insurance Co., Sy.Med generated nearly $2 million of revenue last year, mostly from the licensing of its OneApp managed software. Used by more than 90,000 healthcare providers, OneApp assists with doctor credentialing, provider enrollment and hospital privileging. In April, Sy.Med introduced OneApp HR, which links employee data to frequently used forms, such as the I-9 and W-4. A Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, Sy.Med can add to its growth by developing new software modules for its clients.

Tricycle
Interiors products sampling
Chattanooga
www.tricycleinc.com
Jonathan Bragdon, president
Formed three years ago to provide a cheaper and faster alternative to carpet sampling, Tricycle digitally creates paper samples that are accurate representations of interiors products. Lead-funded by the Southern Appalachian Fund, the company is building cooperative partnerships with machine manufacturers and fiber companies to gain pre-market access to new products. Also, it is expanding its simulation services to other interior surfaces and promoting its product development program, the ‘Apso Jet Set,’ an integrated design system and prototyping engine for carpet and textile designers.

United Enertech
Air control products
Chattanooga
www.unitedenertech.com
Bill Tate, president
The son of an engineer, Bill Tate spent decades selling various air moving products, and by 1988 was ready to begin manufacturing them. Ten years later he sold his other company, United Air Products, and narrowed his focus on United Enertech, which makes louvers, actuators, dampers, hoods and other pieces of equipment used in commercial HVAC systems. Now, business is so strong that the 56-person company is actively trying to acquire additional property for expansion to accommodate its greater production needs, and is seeking tax incentives and grants to facilitate that.

USresources
Healthcare staffing
Brentwood
www.usresources.com
Mark Dixon, owner
Since partnering in 2002 with hospital company HCA, USresources has been ramping up its revenue by providing on-site staffing services for registered nurses and other medical positions. The five-year-old company has a sister L.L.C. in McLean, Va., that focuses on IT staffing, and both are offshoots from LAN Solutions. Serving various regions of the country with outsourced on-site recruitment, USresources expects its healthcare staffing business to expand as it works to broadens its penetration around the country.

Vantage Logistics
Third-party logistics
Memphis
www.vantagelogistics.com
James “Don” Davis, CEO
From its headquarters near Memphis International Airport, Vantage Logistics arranges and manages commodity transportation via aircraft, truck or railcar anywhere in the country. Thanks largely to expanding its existing customer accounts—with a boost from additions to its sales force—revenue increased 42% last year, its fourth year in operation, to $12.9 million. Started by ex-Consolidated Freight executive Don Davis, who began in the industry on the docks in Florida 19 years earlier, Vantage now employs nine former Consolidated Freight employees.

VIPGift
Corporate incentives
Chattanooga
www.vipgift.com
Hamid Andalib
Sales are hurtling upward at VIPGift, a five-year-old provider of gift cards used by corporations to reward employees and customers. The company’s top line rose 250% to $13.6 million last year and is on pace to double again in 2005. Since coming to America from Iran in 1979 at age 17, owner Hamid Andalib acquired The Loft restaurant in Chattanooga, where he pioneered development of a co-branded MasterCard. VIPGift is an outgrowth of that service, but offers recipients a huge number of choices where to spend their money.

Wills Handyman
Home maintenance and repair
Nashville
www.willshandyman.com
Wendell Harmer, co-owner
This five-year-old company is a natural companion to sister firm, The Wills Company, whose home renovation clients are excellent prospects for handyman services. Ridley Wills III and Wendell Harmer started Wills Handyman with $25,000 of capital. Revenue rose 60% last year as the 11-person company helped customers knock off their “honey-do” lists. Wills Handyman expects further growth opportunities to exist due to the sparseness of professional companies that can handle the whole range of home repairs.

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