Meet the winners

When Bill Ellis became the CEO of Merit Coffee in February 2020, he took the opportunity to innovate and embrace digital platforms and automation. Under his leadership, the company has now grown from 10 to 13 locations and is recognized as a best-in-class coffee provider in Texas. For Bill, it all comes back to their mission of being a daily beacon of joy and connection for the community.

From project manager to CEO, Stephen Park has led E-Z Bel Construction to remarkable growth, tripling its revenue and margins over the past 7 years. In 2022, he led the acquisition of Hill Country Bridge and has since tripled the company’s size. Driven by the mission of “building opportunities through constructing our communities,” Stephen is shaping a brighter future.

Kirk Francis founded Financial Life Advisors to empower individuals through client-centered advisory services. In 2017, he led a merger that resulted in over 200% revenue growth and enhanced operations under the EOS. As Chairman and Commissioner of the Housing Authority of Bexar County, Kirk is committed to public service, creating nearly 3,000 more housing opportunities throughout the region.

Bob Herbst founded the prominent CPA firm, Fisher, Herbst & Kemble (FHK) in 1990. In November 2023, FHK joined Texas-based Whitley Penn and has widened its service offerings to be a full-service public accounting firm offering audit, tax, consulting, and digital services. Preparing for retirement in 2026, Bob’s legacy of inspiring others to reach their full potential will continue to resonate within the industry.

Alex Cohen never expected to work in healthcare, much less become a chief executive at one of the nation’s largest therapy providers. In his time as COO of Enhance Therapies, Alex has expanded the company from 1,800 clinicians to nearly 8,000. He heavily integrated technology solutions in 2024 that led to $1.75 million cost savings annually. At just 35, Alex is on a mission to revolutionize the healthcare industry.

From concert pianist to leading a $20M company, Inna Tuler’s leadership journey is one of perseverance. After arriving in the U.S. with $200, Inna and her husband built Maintco Corp. Following his passing in 2011, Inna became CEO. Under her guidance, Maintco has thrived, growing 100% in 10 years, serving Fortune 500 clients while maintaining a people-first culture and near-zero turnover.

With over 42 years in the seafood industry, Mark’s story as CEO of SK Food Brands began when his father founded the company in 1961. After Mark spearheaded the decision to offshore their packing operations – cutting costs and improving quality – his father handed over the reins as CEO. Under his guidance, SK Food Brands has thrived with 200% revenue growth and a rebrand focused on value added products that launched in February 2024.

Mercy Tolentino Steenwyk founded ForensisGroup, an expert consulting firm, from her dining room in 1991. Now a top 100 minority & women-owned business in LA, it has served 30,000 cases & 20,000 clients. Through her Force for Good™ she’s planted 7,000 trees & awarded 100 scholarships. As she passes the torch to the next generation, Mercy remains dedicated to her mission of improving people’s lives.

With a background in athletics and coaching, Chuck Downs was called in to bring professionalism and accountability to a fragmented Border States Electric. After a few acquisitions, the amalgam of employees identified with their previous companies rather than as a unified team, costing Border States $11.3 million. To remedy this, he defined fundamentals, increasing RORI to 14% and aiming for 98% efficiency.

After starting in the graphic design department at Churchill Container, Elijah Corbin’s leadership prowess led him to his current position as general manager. Under Elijah’s guidance, Churchill has realized three consecutive years of record growth, over 400%, coupled with a 99% on-time performance rate and 1,000 days without accidents. Looking ahead, he and his team are tackling sustainability head-on.

Keeping passengers safe in the skies since 1990, AkroFire has been a quiet guardian, developing fire seals and protection systems for 99% of airlines. Fast forward to 2022, Tom’s CEO journey took a pivotal turn with the sale of AkroFire. For Tom, success wasn’t just about the numbers — it was about creating the right conditions for continued growth while preserving a legacy of innovation and safety.

Carl Heller’s leadership approach is slow and steady, rooted in empowering his people. By developing dedicated leadership teams, he has a solid support system to lead the company into the future.  In 2023, he and his 330-person team have achieved 15% growth year-over-year while doubling EBITDA.

Founded in 2015, Mark Miller’s Workover Solutions is a vertically integrated oil and gas service company specializing in subsurface operations. By placing an emphasis on research and development, Mark drives $65 million in revenue. Looking to the future with his team of 165 employees, Mark plans to expand into Saudi Arabia and bring over 30 new patents to the market.

Over the past three decades, David Meyers has spearheaded purchasing advancements in the HVAC controls market, recognizing a critical gap in the market: the difficulty in obtaining control parts easily and efficiently. As a solution, he invested millions in developing in-house technology that allows them to sell controls on the internet without stocking the products. This allows for more competitive pricing, resulting in $79 million in revenue.

In her role as CEO of Avenue 360 Health and Wellness, Dr. Flash leads a seven-site health system of 220 employees that provides cradle-to-grave care for marginalized people, regardless of their ability to pay. Last year, she served over 13,000 patients and housed over 500 families — forever changing lives. “I intentionally moved to Texas because it has the highest rate of uninsured in the country,” she shares.

In 2008, Demarco Bell co-founded Spotted Hawk Development, an upstream energy company, using $47M of equity from the healthcare industry.  He raised over $450 million to fund additional development and a management buyout in 2023.  In 2022, the opportunity arose to improve diabetic patient outcomes while increasing cost savings to insurance companies, he co-founded Diabetes Center of Houston and hopes to expand this model nationwide.

Guided by CEO Tom Brackin since 1990, American Omni Trading has grown into a global force and a top-ranking importer of tires in the U.S., selling into over 60 countries since conception. Recently he steered the company to over $400 million in revenues. Despite a 2023 revenue dip, Brackin’s strategic planning during the quiet period poises the company for future success, challenges accepted!

Tom Little plays a crucial role as the President/CEO of a portfolio of flood protection and services. As weather events increase, his leadership is critical, reaching as far as the UAE and Australia. Last year, he led an 18% increase in sales and a 27% increase in EBITDA while teaming up with a private equity firm, which helped him and his partner to finalize two merger/acquisition deals.

Pivoting from academia to entrepreneurship, Sean Forman hit a home run, creating Sports Reference, a leader in sports data. Today, his business is used in front offices and cited by media giants like ESPN. Moreover, he acquired the sports version of Wordle, Immaculate Grid, growing their total audience to more than 20 million unique users each month and their revenue by 350% over the last three years.

Under Richard Paynton’s leadership as CEO, Dontech has grown fourfold. After the passing of his business partner in 2021, Richard reevaluated his leadership approach and focused on building a robust team structure. Now, Dontech boasts a better-than-on-time delivery rate, has a track record of impeccable quality, and regularly functions as an extension of their strategic customers’ engineering departments, helping to design Dontech’s next generation products.

After the passing of his mother due to addiction, Brian Mingia was on a path that would eventually lead him to become the executive director of The Healing Place. His model is simple: peer-run and peer-led, providing services at no cost to individuals. In its first year of operation, it served over 425 individuals in recovery, sheltered 1,435, detoxed hundreds and provided healthcare for 419 people.

As CEO, Boyd Taylor guides Creedmoor Holding Company, a real estate enterprise that owns and manages industrial buildings, self-storage facilities and development projects. His team specializes in acquiring and repurposing industrial spaces, often dividing them into smaller units to attract multiple tenants — a strategy that yields 100% Y-o-Y growth.

Nikin successfully exited his family business through refining the strategy, securing full-year purchase orders from customers, and demonstrating significant revenue and EBITDA growth, resulting in a higher acquisition value from the previous attempt. Post-exit, he has embarked on a new journey with his investment firm, Front Porch Ventures Partners, which has already raised two impressive funds.

Under Anita Andrews-Hutchinson’s leadership as co-founder, It Takes A Village Family of Schools has recently doubled its capacity, boasting six early learning centers, two elementary schools, and a sprawling 9.1-acre campus. Looking ahead, she and her team plan to leverage community partnerships to expand to serve 5,000 annually and scale their internal talent pipeline.

As the first non-Riley family member to become CEO, Matt Prince has championed a philosophy at Riley Construction that prioritizes excellence in construction and well-being. Throughout his tenure, he initiated the company’s lean journey, emphasizing respect for people and enhancement of processes, which yielded an increase in net profit by 25% and positive feedback from clients, architects, and subcontractors.

Starting G.A.S. in 1977 when he was 26, Dan Dickinson’s strategic leadership guided the company to over $1.4 billion in selling and leasing commercial and corporate aircraft and engines. He also led the creation of seven successful companies under his leadership, each addressing unique niches within the aviation sector and even venturing into power generation systems.