Seven Bakersfield companies make Inc. 5000 list
| Wednesday, Aug 12 2009 06:05 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Aug 12 2009 06:07 PM
Inc. 5000 highlights
* California had the most companies (612) on the list.
* The companies on the list have created more than 1 million jobs since they were founded.
* The companies generated $214 billion in revenue, which is $29 billion more than the previous year.
* The third annual list of 5,000 (previously it just covered 500 businesses) can be searched by state, region, industry and other criteria at Inc.com.
The following information on the Kern County companies that made the list is from the Inc. Web site:
Electrical Systems and Instrumentation
Ranking: No. 885
Founded: 2004
Growth: 342.0%
2005 Revenue: $2.7 million
2008 Revenue: $11.8 million
Employees: 113 at time of survey, now about 75, the company president said.
Web site: www.Elect-Systems.com
Business model: Electrical Systems and Instrumentation provides electrical construction and maintenance and process control and instrumentation services for the oil and gas, processing, refining, mining and food and beverage industries.
E&B Natural Resources Management
Ranking: No. 1,160
Founded: 1972
Growth: 274.6%
2005 Revenue: $41.3 million
2008 Revenue: $154.7 million
Employees: 110
Business model: E&B Natural Resources Management is an oil and gas exploration and production company.
Processes Unlimited International
Ranking: No. 1,407
Founded: 1985
Growth: 227.7%
2005 Revenue: $15.5 million
2008 Revenue: $50.9 million
Employees: 390
Web site: www.prou.com
Business model: Processes Unlimited International provides engineering services such as planning, engineering, design, project management and safety support services to the industrial, energy, food and beverage and material handling industries.
Lightspeed Systems
Ranking: No. 2,071
Founded: 2000
Growth: 153.7%
2005 Revenue: $4.2 million
2008 Revenue: $10.7 million
Employees: 76
Web site: www.lightspeedsystems.com
Business model: Lightspeed Systems develops network security software designed specifically for K-12 school districts.
PLCs Plus International
Ranking: No. 3,140
Founded: 1998
Growth: 84.8%
2005 Revenue: $4.4 million
2008 Revenue: $8.2 million
Employees: 38
Web site: www.bkppi.com
Business model: PLCs Plus International designs, installs, programs and integrates industrial control and automation technology for manufacturers.
Terrio Therapy-Fitness
Ranking: No. 3,860
Founded: 1998
Growth: 56.5%
2005 Revenue: $4.3 million
2008 Revenue: $6.8 million
Employees: 145
Web site: www.myTerrio.com
Business model: Terrio Therapy-Fitness offers physical, occupational, speech, pediatric and aquatic therapy, as well as athletic training and weight-loss fitness programs from several locations in Kern County.
ARRC Technology
Ranking: No. 4,741
Founded: 1992
Growth: 17.8%
2005 Revenue: $5.4 million
2008 Revenue: $6.4 million
Employees: 44
Web site: www.arrc.com
Business model: ARRC Technology installs and implements custom servers, workstations and telecommunications systems for small and mid-size businesses. The company also has a retail storefront, providing computer service and repair to individual consumers. And the company created CharTec, a technology managed service solution, that has been taken internationally.
Creating an effective corporate culture. Paying close attention to clients' needs. Discovering a niche.
These are just a few of the ways some Bakersfield business leaders said they grew their revenue so much between 2005 and 2008 that they landed Wednesday on Inc. magazines's Inc. 5000 list, which recognizes the country's fastest-growing private companies.
"That is wonderful. Seven people from Bakersfield made the list!" said Monique Rogers, corporate administration and marketing director at ARRC Technology, which came in at 4,741. "Bakersfield has such a unique offering for small businesses."
She first expressed excitement for Bakersfield's overall success in the list.
Then, of ARRC Technology, she said it's challenging to maintain a high level of growth when you've been in business for 17 years, as opposed to being a startup. But ARRC has done so by "paying attention to what you are teaching your employees, and being an example of how to do business well."
At Lightspeed Systems, which ranked 2,071, President Scott Garrison noted his company has developed a niche serving schools and retains customers at an exceptional level.
He deemed the ranking "a testament to developing exceptional software. We sell only into school districts. ... Our mission is to deliver an educationally friendly Internet to school districts in the United States and beyond."
PLCs Plus International's president, Mark Surber, emphasized the importance of good business consultants and employees to his success.
"We just have good partners and we try to hire quality people and try to treat everyone as a person and not just as an employee or a number," said Suber, whose company ranked 3,140.
At Terrio Therapy-Fitness, founder and CEO Tim Terrio said he's placed a great deal of emphasis on infrastructure, including a new patent-pending software program that allows patients, physicians and insurance companies to track progress.
Terrio has grown to nine facilities in Bakersfield and one in Tehachapi, and has expanded to Fresno with plans to build more clinics there.
"My mantra of life has always been 'there has to be a better way,'" said Terrio, whose company came in at 3,860.
Despite the revenue growth recognized by Inc.'s survey, the economy is challenging even to businesses that made its list.
Robert Riley, president of Electrical Systems and Instrumentation, which ranked 885 in the survey, said the economy really caught up with the business in 2009, which is not reflected in Inc.'s rankings.
"It's been pretty much a roller coaster ride here since the first quarter. It appears that we have reached a certain bottom or plateau," Riley said, adding he's hopeful revenue will rise again over the next six months.
