and CEO of The Peebles Corp. (No. 10 on the BE INDUSTRIAL/SERVICE 100 list with $449.7 million in sales), certainly knows his. The Coral Gables, Florida-based real estate developer saw a remarkable 121% growth in revenues. Peebles attributes the growth to his sale of the Royal Palm Hotel in 2005 for roughly $127.5 million. “Our strategy is to continue to look at emerging markets on the acquisition side,” he says. “We are diversifying geographically and by product type. Our company is growing in terms of the number of projects that we do. The dollar volume of our company will grow as a result of that.”
Through strategic partnerships, acquisitions, and the right business models, these CEOs are ensuring that their companies achieve the growth and scale to get in the ring with industry heavyweights, while simultaneously delivering knockout blows to the competition.
With razor-sharp skills, a comprehensive business strategy, and a lot of heart, these BE 100S heavyweights have emerged victorious. How do they withstand adverse conditions and knock out competitors? They focused on improving customer service, landing lucrative contracts, and making strategic acquisitions to conduct business at its highest levels. Here’s how our champs performed over the past year:
November 2005
Energy Enterprise Solutions L.L.C., a joint venture of RS Information Systems Inc. (No. 13 on the BE INDUSTRIAL/SERVICE 100 list with $360 million in sales), is awarded a $1 billion information technology contract to perform services in 12 areas, including cybers
ecurity and network engineering and operations.
Serial Entrepreneurs
The number of different companies headed by serial entrepreneur Charles H. James III that has appeared on the BE 100s Industrial/Service 100 List over the last decade:
C.H. James (Holdings) Inc.
Restaurant Holdings
Prime Source Food Service Equipment
June 2005
New Jersey-based City National Bancshares Corp. (No. 3 on the BE BANKS list with $363.42 million in assets) expands to 125th Street in Harlem and increases its municipal account relationships. The company attests that both contributed to a robust 11.8% growth in total assets.
C.H. James & Son
December 2005
BMW/MINI of Sterling (No. 21 on the BE AUTO DEALER 100 list with $108 million in sales) ends the year on a high note, selling 1,300 new BMWs, 500 used BMWs, and 700 MINI Coopers. CEO Thomas A. Moorehead says his greatest challenge is expanding his facility fast enough to meet demand.
January 2006
MV Transportation Inc. (No. 11 on the BE INDUSTRIAL/SERVICE 100 list with $373.48 million in sales) wins a $540 million contract with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to oversee MetroAccess, the transit services that fall under the Americans with Disabilities Act in the District of Columbia and parts of Maryland and Virginia.
Three
March 2006
R. Donahue Peebles, CEO of The Peebles Corp. (No. 10 on the BE INDUSTRIAL/SERVICE 100 list with $449.66 million in sales), opens the doors of The Residences at The Bath Club, a $225 million oceanfront property in Miami Beach.
February 2006
Oprah Winfrey, chairwoman of Harpo Inc. (No. 17 on the BE INDUSTRIAL/SERVICE 100 list with $290 million in sales), inks a three-year deal worth $55 million with XM Satellite