The Women Presidents' Organization and
American Express Global Corporate Payments Name 50 Fastest-Growing
Women-Owned/Led Companies
The Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO), in partnership with
American Express Global Corporate Payments, the division of
American Express serving the payment solution needs of middle
market and large companies, today released the eighth ranking of
the 50 Fastest-Growing Women-Owned/Led Companies. For just the
second time, nominations were open to global entries. The 50
Fastest generated a combined $4.4 billion in 2014 revenues (mean of
$88.3 million) and collectively employed 31,121 in 2014 (mean of
692). Three notable winners are:
- The Pinnacle Group, an IT workforce
solutions firm based in Dallas, is new to the 2015 list and
takes the number one spot. Nina Vaca, president and chief executive
officer, saw her 19-year-old company revenue more than quadruple in
four years, from $164,567,336 in 2010 to $665,577,015 in 2014. The
entrepreneur, who still owns 100% of the firm she founded at age 24
with $300 of startup capital, attributes being nimble and able to
adapt to client needs as the secret of her company’s rapid
growth.
- Morning Star Financial Services, a
Minnesota-based financial management firm, rose from the number
eight spot last year to second in 2015. Over the past two years,
the firm’s revenue ($4,732,590 in 2012 to $44,199,555 in 2014) and
employment (9 in 2012 to 121 in 2014) skyrocketed. Dr. Rebecca
Thomley, president and chief executive officer, views company
success as a combination of creativity, willingness to take risks
and being surrounded with talented people.
- Logistics provider Legion Logistics,
LLC, another newcomer to the list, is the third fastest-growing
company. The Florence, KY-based firm led by Lacy Starling more than
doubled revenue in two years ($11,477,196 in 2012 to $25,485,107 in
2014) and added 19 employees during that span.
“The 50 Fastest list exemplifies the vital role women-owned/led
companies have in boosting the economy and enhancing overall job
growth,” said Marsha Firestone, Ph. D., president and founder of
the WPO. “We are pleased to partner with American Express Global
Corporate Payments to honor these powerful women and recognize
their triumphs.”
“We at American Express are honored to support this elite group
of women, who represent a wide spectrum of industries and have
become leaders within the business community,” said Susan Sobbott,
president, Global Corporate Payments, American Express. “The 50
Fastest companies are full-scale, successful and growing.”
Each of the honored business owners will be offered a
congratulatory prize from American Express.
All eligible companies were ranked according to a sales growth
formula that combines percentage and absolute growth. From this
list, the 50 Fastest were selected. To be qualified for the
ranking, businesses are required to be privately held,
woman-owned/led companies and have reached revenue of at least
$500,000 by the first week of 2010 and $2 million in 2014.
More about the 2015 50 Fastest:
- Average Age: 49
- CEOs that founded the business:
94%
- Listed companies that do business
globally: 50%
- Average number of projected 2015
employees: 1,916
All 50 companies will be honored at a special event hosted by
American Express Global Corporate Payments at the 2015 WPO Annual
Conference in Phoenix, Arizona on May, 1, 2015. The awards
reception will take place from 6:30PM to 8:30PM at the Arizona
Biltmore Hotel.
The 2015 50 Fastest-Growing
Women-Owned/Led Companies Include:
Entrepreneur Name Company Name
City, State/Province/Country
1
Nina Vaca The Pinnacle Group
Dallas, TX
2 Dr. Rebecca Thomley
Morning Star Financial Services Golden
Valley, MN
3 Lacy Starling
Legion Logistics, LLC Florence, KY
4
Shari Spiro Ad Magic, Inc.
Netcong, NJ
5 Kristi Alford
E2 Optics Englewood, CO
6
April Feller NLU Products dba
BodyGuardz LLC Lehi, UT
7
Kristina Roth Matisia Consultants
Seattle, WA
8 Shelly Sun
BrightStar Franchising LLC Gurnee, IL
9 Phyllis W. Newhouse Xtreme
Solutions Inc Atlanta, GA
10
June Ressler Cenergy international Services
Houston, TX
11 Sindhura
Thummalasetty SoftHQ Inc
San Diego, CA
12 Rochelle Rivas
Darton Group Consulting Charlotte, NC
13 Denise Legg MegaCorp
Logistics Wilmington, NC
14
Therese Tucker BlackLine
Woodland Hills, CA
15 Liz Elting
TransPerfect New York, NY
16
Mary Kariotis Merrimak Capital Company
Novato, CA
17 Michelle Vondrasek
Von Technologies, LLC Woodridge,
IL
18 Kay Ivie Ivie &
Associates Flower Mound, TX
19
Laura Kelly Keyot St
Paul, MN
20 Leslie Alison Firtell
Tower Legal Solutions New York, NY
21 Jennifer Guthrie In-Flight
Crew Connections, LLC Charlotte, NC
22
Jacqueline Wilson American Fashion
Network Manlius, NY
23 Zeynep
Erkunt Armagan Erkunt Traktor
Ankara, Turkey
24 Beatriz Manetta
Argent Associates, Inc. Plano,
TX
25 Kathy Phillips Primitives
by Kathy, Inc. Lancaster, PA
26
Shavila Singh Zero Waste Solutions, Inc.
Concord, CA
27 Fiona Gathright
Wellness Corporate Solutions, LLC
Bethesda, MD
28 Rebecca Cenni
Atrium Staffing New York, NY
29 Lenora Payne Technology Group
Solutions, LLC Lenexa, KS
30
Claudia Mirza Akorbi
Plano, TX
31 Veronica Edwards
InGenesis, Inc. San Antonio, TX
32
Karen Cooper SmartIT
Indianapolis, IN
33 Kathryn Eberwein
The Global Edge Consultants, LLC
The Woodlands, TX
34 Catherine Tojaga
CT Mechanical Lombard, IL
35
Moira Moser M Moser Associates, LLC
New York, NY
36 Orit Koren
Trillium FSB Inc.
Concord, Ontario
37 Diane Astley
Xclusive Staffing Westminster, CO
38
Patricia Bible KaTom Restaurant Supply,
Inc. Kodak, TN
39 Liane
Weintraub Tasty Brand, Inc.
Calabasas, CA
40 Sabina Teshler
SET Management, LLC Portland, OR
41 Dee Hays Excellence
Engineering, LLC Tulsa, OK
42
Pamela O'Rourke ICON Information Consultants,
LP Houston, TX
43 Cassandra
Sanford KellyMitchell Group, Inc.
St. Louis, MO
44 Stacy Robison
CommunicateHealth, Inc.
Northampton, MA
45 Kara Trott
Quantum Health Columbus, OH
46
Shelly Morse Mosaic
Renton, WA
47 Cheryl Biron One
Horn Transportation Wayne, NJ
48
Anjali Ramakumaran Ampcus Inc
Chantilly, VA
49 Ronia Kruse
OpTech, LLC Troy, MI
50
Allison McGrath Judge Transformhealthrx
Statesboro, GA
About the Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO)
The WPO is the ultimate affiliation for successful women
entrepreneurs worldwide. In monthly meetings across the world,
women from diverse industries invest time and energy in themselves
and their businesses to drive their corporations to the next level.
Local WPO chapters are coordinated by a professional facilitator
and meet monthly to share business expertise and experience in a
confidential setting. For more information, call 212-688-4114 or
visit www.womenpresidentsorg.com.
About American Express Global Corporate Payments
Through its Global Corporate Payments division, American Express
offers a suite of B2B and T&E payment solutions that help
organizations streamline processes and transform them into
opportunities for savings, control and efficiency. American Express
can help your organization increase working capital flexibility and
strengthen relationships with suppliers. For more information,
visit us at business.americanexpress.com/us and
linkedin.com/company/american-express-global-corporate-payments.
About American Express
American Express is a global services company, providing
customers with access to products, insights and experiences that
enrich lives and build business success. Learn more
at americanexpress.com and connect with us
on facebook.com/americanexpress,
foursquare.com/americanexpress, linkedin.com/company/american-express,
twitter.com/americanexpress,
and youtube.com/americanexpress.
Key links to products and services: charge and credit cards,
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M BoothAlex Della Rocca212-539-3203alexd@mbooth.comorAmerican
ExpressMelissa Banas917-514-4693melissa.j.banas@aexp.comorWomen
Presidents’ OrganizationSusan
Johnson917-601-5778Sjohnson@womenpresidentsorg.com
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