The McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship hosted its 19th annual Aggie 100 Oct. 27 in the Hall of Champions at Kyle Field, with nearly 750 in attendance.
Launched in 2005, the Aggie 100 honors the fastest-growing Aggie-owned or Aggie-led businesses. To be considered for the ranking, companies must meet criteria for growth, longevity and revenues and operate in a manner consistent with the Aggie Code of Honor and the values of Texas A&M University.
In addition to receiving the highest number of applications in Aggie 100 history, this year saw the highest growth rate of a No. 1 company, as well as the highest growth rate of a No. 100 company, making the threshold to be named to the list more competitive than ever.
Each year, Houston accounting firm PKF Texas notes the total combined annual revenue for the most recent year of financials for the companies. Across 19 years, the average total combined revenue is $5.16 billion, with a previous record of $9.72 billion in 2019. The 2023 Aggie 100 class hit a total combined revenue of $23.33 billion in 2022.
Nominated companies are ranked by percentage of compound annual growth in sales or revenues (net of returns), over the most recent three-year period. Nominees are required to provide detailed company information to PKF Texas, which then evaluates and ranks the nominees.
This year’s top-ranked company, StaffDNA LLC, based in Plano and led by Jenny Hanlon ’89, had a record-breaking growth rate of 734.72% from 2020 to 2022.
"[Being named No. 1 on the Aggie 100] is an affirmation of what we did and what we need to continue to do and the problem that we want to solve,” Hanlon said. “It’s important to us to be able to say we solved a problem, we worked together and to look back and say ‘We did that. We all did that.'"
The top 10 from the 2023 Aggie 100 company list, including their location, Aggie leadership and growth rate, are:
- StaffDNA LLC of Plano, Jenny Hanlon ’89, 734.72%
- Lone Star Flower Market of Dallas, Luke Krieger ’00, 308.03%
- Buccaneer Commission (Buc Days) of Corpus Christi, Johnny Philipello ’03, 235.15%
- Hibernia Resources of Houston, Embry Canterbury ’94, 216.50%
- Cutters Landscaping of Austin, Zach Brashear '15, Charlie Curl ’14, 186.51%
- Penguin Patch of Fort Worth, Jennifer Randklev ’99, 160.36%
- Education Advanced Inc. of Tyler, J. Eli Crow, Ph.D. ’01, 136.11%
- Universal Flow Controls of Laredo, Oscar Torres ’77 and Oscar Torres ’14, 135.34%
- Navidad Resource Partners LLC of Bullard, Harold McGowen ’82 and Richard A. Reese ’83, 123.74%
- Sagis Transport of Sugar Land, Toya Jones ’00, 119.90%
“The 19th year of Aggie 100 was literally one for the books,” said Blake Petty ’98, executive director of the McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship. “This year saw four Aggie 100 records broken, including the highest number of applications and the highest threshold of a growth rate just to qualify for the list.
“Any company on the 2023 Aggie 100 should be incredibly proud of this accomplishment as this was the hardest year to make it onto the list,” Petty said. “As we look ahead to celebrating 20 years of Aggie 100 in 2024, we continue to be impressed by and proud of the accomplishments and successes of Aggie entrepreneurs. Celebrating and honoring them is always a highlight of our year.”
Aggie 100 has grown significantly since its inception in 2005 and is being emulated by a number of other top universities, including several Southeastern Conference schools. More than 950 companies and nearly 1,300 Aggie leaders have been honored over the past 19 years.
A complete list of Aggie 100 companies, including from past years, can be found at aggie100.com.
By Lara Robertson, McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship at Texas A&M University
