100 fastest-growing inner city businesses

This year's 100 fastest-growing inner city companies, as ranked by the <a href="http://www.icic.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Initiative for a Competitive Inner City</a>.

Choozle provides digital advertising software that leverages detailed consumer data to power programmatic advertising campaigns across display, video, mobile and other mediums. In 2012, CEO Andrew Fischer and the team surveyed the market and found that because of the complexity and cost of this type of advertising, most marketers outsourced their programmatic advertising efforts. Thus, Choozle was an early leader in “democratizing the medium” and through its self-service product, eliminating managed services in the process. Today Choozle has 400 global clients, 380 of which are fully self-service. Choozle is deeply embedded in the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Denver and has benefited from the symbiotic relationship since its inception. Choozle hires students out of many local schools including Galvanize, the co-working space and coding school that they were born out of. “We’re proud to be part of Denver’s startup heritage,” says Andrew.

Choozle

2M Research gets its name from the husband and wife pair, Dr. Marcus Martin and Dr. Eddilisa Martin, that first met on a plane and were engaged 30 days later. They’ve been together for 19 years now. These academics-turned-entrepreneurs explain that the creation of the business was intentional, not accidental. The two worked for 8 months on a business plan, understanding that “strategy is just as important as everything else.” They started with intellectual capital and a strong network and asked themselves what they could to with it. The resulting company is 2M Research, a research and advisory firm focused on providing federal, state, and local government agencies, commercial clients, and nonprofit organizations with objective and rigorous research, program evaluation, and policy analysis consulting services. Since being awarded its first federal prime contract in November 2013, 2M has successfully been awarded prime contracts in 18 federal agencies. Along the way they’ve discovered a unique ability to both find hidden talent in the local workforce and attract those with advanced degrees. Marcus’s goal is to make 2M an employee-owned firm in the next 4-5 years. Marcus and Eddilisa believe entrepreneurship is an answer for social problems, but that “we need to make sure the capability and option is there because the odds are so often stacked against people in these communities.”

2M Research Services, LLC

Premier Container is in the business of reconditioning intermediate bulk containers (IBC's). Mike had been in the industry for 15 years when he identified a small niche that could be serviced: the small, local distributors under 100 employees within the 6-8 hour range that were constrained by their location and needed. Through the company’s partnership with a work placement program (Verge), Premier Container has been able to put local individuals to work. Above all else, Mike attributes the company’s continued success to the strong emphasis they put on customer service.

Premier Container

Custom Pro Logistics is a premier business solutions provider with an intense focus on customer service and refrigerated transportation. CEO Devin Reilly recognizes the challenges of hiring in this industry and the need to appeal to a younger demographic because the work is “demanding, stressful, and you have to be available 24/7". Additionally, the logistics space is rapidly evolving and heavily influenced by technology and smartphones in particular. Custom Pro Logistics has been able to keep up though, as evidenced by their impressive growth rate ($1M during their first year in operation in 2013 and over $26M last year). There has also been a lot of change happening in the neighborhood of Over The Rhine that they call home, which had previously been neglected. Devin says that being in this rapidly changing neighborhood “keeps you in the mind frame that change is good.”

Custom Pro Logistics

Kelly Smith graduated with an electrical engineering degree, and briefly spent time in the corporate world before becoming owner of Texas of All Tech Electric in 2015. Providing innovative and quality solutions to their customers, All Tech provides electrical services nationwide. Since the beginning, Kelly has seen the industry change rapidly, which only presents more opportunities for her and her employees. Advancements in LED lighting and control systems, for instance, have given the All Tech Team the opportunity to train employees on new systems, while also providing better, more energy efficient options to customers. All Tech’s goal is to continue to grow strategically and slowly over the next 3 to 5 years as they continue to look for customers and partnerships that align with their company vision.

Texas of All Tech Electric, LLC

Vazquez Commercial Contracting, LLC (VCC) is an SBA 8(a), SDB, HUBZone, MBE, DBE certified and licensed general contracting company. In 2008 during tough economic times, Joe Vazquez got the entrepreneur bug and bled his 401K dry to get the company started. Fast forward to 2017 when VCC brought in over $30M in revenue. “It’s very humbling, to see this business and what it’s done,” says Joe. “It’s exciting to see where the future will take us.”

Vazquez Commercial Contracting, LLC

Matt Kreutz started Firebrand Artisan Breads with a vision and little else. Working in bakeries since age 14, he managed to turn his passion into one of the most recognized bakeries in the Bay Area. Matt lived in the loft of the bakery for the first year until he slowly built his company with the help of inner city advisors, eventually securing a contract with Whole Foods. Firebrand Artisan Breads, which offers a unique line of wood fired breads and pastries, sees their location in the Bay Area as one of their largest assets. Matt describes his products as having an ugly beautiful quality to them, which has allowed Firebrand to separate itself from their local competitors. Firebrand continues to try to maintain their steady growth, while also remaining true to the brand’s unique identity.

Firebrand Artisan Breads

Founded in 1992, Paniagua’s Enterprises Incorporated (PEI) provides communication construction and engineering services to large digital services provides—such as [hotlink]Comcast[/hotlink], [hotlink]Verizon[/hotlink], and [hotlink]AT&amp;T[/hotlink]. Their President, CEO, and Founder, Jaime Paniagua, has prioritized quality and invested in giving opportunities to others as the company has grown. Ninety percent of PEI’s employees are inner city workers or minorities, and in employing them and paying them well, Jaime has helped greatly to contribute to the Baltimore community. In the future, Jaime plans to expand his company more throughout Maryland and then potentially grow into other states.

Paniagua's Enterprises Incorporated

Founder and CEO Nosa Ehimwenman started Bowa Construction in 2009 after working in corporate America for 10 years and deciding he wanted to do more. After looking at the landscape of small contractors around Chicago, Nosa saw an opportunity to create jobs in a historically white industry. Nearly 10 years later and Bowa Construction is one of the most diverse construction companies in the city of Chicago. Nosa says, “One of the greatest joys is giving a young black or brown kid an opportunity in construction. I love taking that risk and watching them grow.” “Being here in this town is about moving and changing stereotypes,” says Nosa. The two buildings they’ve purchased and connected to their office used to be old liquor stores that they have renovated. In turn, they’ve changed the perception of the building and the neighborhood as a whole.

Bowa Construction

New Orleans is a region steeped in tradition which can present challenges for new ideas and entrants. But French Truck Coffee has doubled revenue year after year since launching in New Orleans six years ago. In doing so, that original shop has activated the surrounding community by bringing in bars, restaurants, and shops. “It has always been my contention that coffee shops change neighborhoods,” says CEO and founder Geoffrey Meeker, who strives to make French Truck an institution for each community it moves into. Geoffrey also works to promote inclusive prosperity through the company’s hiring practices: “We hire anyone, irrespective of education or background, who has the personality and ability to take care of the customers. I’ve seen people change their lives working with us – and change the community in the process.”

French Truck Coffee

The Top 10

Here are this year's 100 fastest-growing inner city companies, as ranked by the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City.

100 Fastest-Growing Inner City Businesses

The Top 10