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Charleston Business

SC Fastest Growing Companies Recognized


South Carolina’s 25 Fastest Growing Companies competition is the annual ranking of the Palmetto State’s 25 most dynamic and successful companies.

To be eligible for the SC Fastest Growing Companies Award, a company must be headquartered in South Carolina and in business for at least three years, and show revenues of more than $3 million in the last fiscal year.

The companies are selected using a calculation based on year-over-year growth of revenue and employee headcount over the last three years (2017, 2018 and 2019).

This year’s recipients were honored at a luncheon Oct. 27 at the Capital City Club where Jim Newsome III, president and CEO of the SC Ports Authority, was the keynote speaker.

Primary sponsors of the SC 25 Fastest Growing Companies competition are The Capital Corporation, KeenanSuggs|HUB Insurance, and Integrated Media Publishing, publishers of Greenville Business Magazine, Columbia Business Monthly, and Charleston Business Magazine.

To see who won this year’s awards, turn the page. And once you’re finished, be sure to visit scbusinessawards.com to place your nomination for the 2021 SC Top 25 Fastest Growing Companies.


#1

MedTrust Holdings Inc.

Hanahan

Industry: Medical transport

Leadership: Josh Watts, CEO

MedTrust's core service is the delivery of emergent and non-emergent interfacility medical transport (ambulance and wheelchair) with a coverage area spanning South Carolina, coastal Georgia and North Florida.

With a fleet of fully equipped ambulances, high-tech dispatch, state-of-the art compliance systems and 450 team members, the company provides timely patient care and customer service to more than 50,000 patients per year.

The company’s business model focuses on serving hospital systems throughout the Southeast, with 24/7/365 operations for ambulance services. Josh Watts and Buddy Koon created MedTrust in 2012 with the goal of providing services that hospital systems and their patients need.

MedTrust pursues a partnership approach with each healthcare facility to improve communication and issue resolution. The company participates in hospital system through-put, transport, STEMI (a type of heart attack), stroke and trauma committees as a partner committed to improving patient care.

Data-driven, innovative methodologies ensure key performance metrics exceed industry standards. Paramedics receive ongoing education on various types of critical care, with hospital system-sponsored training in specialty areas such as pediatrics.

Josh Watts, CEO, said his top piece of advice for people hoping to build a business is to understand why they want to start it. “The what, where and even who can be worked out, but the why is what is necessary on hard days,” he said.

Starting with a clear target customer base is critical as well. “It is impossible to be everything to everyone,” he says. Now that his target market is clear, the company has been able to “bring exceptional value and service to those that entrust us with their patients.”

Growing businesses need to understand cash flow and assess the costs associated with aggressive growth, he says. He advises that companies work to keep the same level of service that won the business to manage and keep the business earned.



#2

Logistics Group

Greenville

Industry: Logistics and Technology

Leadership: Will Stephan and Vikash Patel, founders

Greenville-based Logisticus Group, founded by Vikash Patel and Will Stephan, is a privately owned limited liability company that specializes in transportation logistics, project management and technology. 

Founded in 2012, the company has supported projects throughout North and South America.

As a diverse business, Logisticus Group is a partner to nuclear companies, well suited, company officials say, to support turnkey transport, maintenance, critical spare parts warehousing/inventory, outages and component replacement objectives.

Logisticus Group also supports turnarounds, warehousing, technology solutions and transport-specific demands to meet project or maintenance needs in the oil and gas sector. It also has provided manpower, technology solutions, transport and project management in support of the construction and industrial space.

Customers have praised the company for its ability to work quickly and safely in real-time to address project needs.

In 2017, Logisticus Group was certified as a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE). Its customized services are designed to “de-risk” clients’ projects, while providing a “white glove” level of service that is unmatched in the industry, company officials say.

Patel and Stephan each worked at GE Energy, where Patel created the project cargo purchasing/delivery strategy for over 250 wind turbine projects and various other power projects.

Stephan developed quality management systems for health, safety, and environmental programs, designed and managed an global surveillance audit program for logistics providers and managed compliance to global chemical transportation requirements.

The two say their mentor base includes local business leaders who advised them on the many items and questions young start-up companies face.

Asked about their advice to businesses in a growth mode, they urge owners to build a circle of advisors they can trust and who allow them to grow unimpeded.

Be willing to delegate as much as you can, but know what you need to keep a pulse on, Patel and Stephan say.

For anyone interested in starting a business, they say don’t live and die by your business plan.

It should be a fluid document that changes daily and often, they say, adding take the leap, as there is no perfect time to start a business.



#3

Adapt Forward LLC

North Charleston

Industry: Cybersecurity and related technical solutions

Leadership: Rich Bowman and Michael Jenks, founders

Adapt Forward LLC is a professional services consulting firm focused on cybersecurity and related technical solutions.

A veteran-owned small business founded in 2014, Adapt Forward’s key leadership has performed cybersecurity for the federal government since 1998, specifically in support of the U.S. Department of Defense and intelligence community. The company has particular expertise in the establishment, capability/process improvement and certification of security operations in the Computer Network Defense (CND)/Cybersecurity Service Provider(CSSP) and Cyber Red Team construct.

Adapt Forward focuses on government contracting, and therefore focuses on relationships for its marketing strategy. The team takes the time to understand the issues clients face and develops custom software solutions to meet those needs.

Significant activities include functional policy development, incident response, cyber threat intelligence, cyber hunt operations, network security monitoring and vulnerability management. The staff offers a variety of IT expertise. As COO Michael Jenks says, “Find the right talent and take care of your people; the rest takes care of itself.”



#4

Clear Touch

Greenville

Industry: Interactive multi-touch panels, education and business software, accessories

Leadership: Keone Trask, president

Clear Touch is committed to its customers, the reliability of its products and innovation, which have paved the way for rapid growth.

Clear Touch develops products for education, business, and government including multi-touch interactive panels, software suites, and accessories. Clear Touch is also an exclusive reseller of Clear Digital products, including LED video walls, interactive podiums and mobile digital signage.

Founded in 2012, Clear Touch has been named to the Inc. 5000 list and the Financial Times list of the fastest growing companies. It has also won multiple best in show awards from Tech & Learning magazine, an education publication. These awards honor educational technology products that improve the way educators and students learn. In 2020, Clear Touch won every category in which they were nominated for products including Clear Touch Command, cloud-based software for energy management, remote updates, emergency messaging management and digital decoder; and Clear Digital Gel, a touchless hand sanitizer station that features an LED display and remote management.



#5

Sunny Days Entertainment LLC

Simpsonville

Industry: Children’s toys

Leadership: Melvin Wells, Partner & CEO

Established in 2012, Sunny Days Entertainment LLC of Simpsonville says it is a fully integrated toy company specializing in solving retailers' problems while delivering ultra-fun, value-added toys to consumers.

Ranging from vehicles to collectibles, Sunny Days brands include Maxx Action, Pop-N-Play, Elite Force, and Ravel Tales.

Company officials say the toy business is dominated by companies around New York and others based in Los Angeles, and most of the CEOs and upper-level management are generational toy insiders and have strong ties to Hollywood and the entertainment business.

That means a toy company from South Carolina – or the South for that matter – has to work extra hard to work its way into that network, Sunny Days officials say.

Accordingly, company officials are driven to help their associates succeed. That’s their measure of success, the officials say.

They say their products can be trend-based and each one might have a unique approach.

They also say they are looking at some expansion plans – but any company should make sure it is financially prepared for growth.



#6

Lima One Capital

Greenville

Industry: Financing for real estate investors

Leadership: Jeff Tennyson, CEO

Headquartered in Greenville, and founded by Marines, Lima One Capital specializes in providing financing for real estate investors who are building, improving and stabilizing neighborhoods across the nation.

Lima One’s core loan products are Rental30, a 30-year, fixed-rate, fully amortizing loan for purchasing or refinancing residential rental properties; residential transition loans (FixNFlip), a 13-month bridge loan for investors who are buying, renovating and selling properties; new construction, a 13-month loan for experienced builders who are building new housing inventory; and a multifamily bridge program for the purchase or refinance of 5-plus-unit multifamily properties.

Many investors partner with Lima One to finance their asset purchases. Additionally, the company partners with various real estate brokers to offer industry-leading financing for their clients.

Lima One officials say the company is a good match for any investor due to its commitment to customer service, as well as providing the most straightforward rates and terms in the industry.

John Warren founded Lima One in 2011 and expanded the company. He has since sold his majority ownership stake.



#7

Integrated Biometrics LLC

Spartanburg

Industry: Fingerprint scanners

Leadership: Steve Thies, CEO

Integrated Biometrics LLC designs and manufactures FBI-certified fingerprint sensors for law enforcement, military operations, homeland security, national identity, election validation, social services and a wide range of commercial applications.

The company’s patented light emitting sensor (LES) technology enables lightweight scanners that outperform traditional prism-based devices in size, power consumption, portability and reliability. Identity management solutions providers, government agencies,and corporations around the world rely on Integrated Biometrics’ products to enroll and verify individual identity quickly and accurately, even in remote locations.

“We enable people of the world to have and provide their own disputed identity,” said David Gerulski, executive vice president, sales and marketing. Clients span the world, from France to Mexico to Pakistan.

Growing businesses must commit to the basics, he said: long hours, helpful mentors, a sustainable and unique business model and an adaptable staff that “can flex as the business needs to change.”



#8

Preferred Home Services LLC

North Charleston

Industry: Plumbing and HVAC services

Leadership: Chris DiCampli, co-owner

Preferred Home Services LLC, a family-owned North Charleston plumbing and HVAC service provider, prides itself on taking care of its customers and doing what it says it is going to do.

Company officials say they realize plumbing and HVAC issues are often frustrating and inconvenient, so they tailor their service to make it as easy and convenient as possible for customers.

The company has available 24-hour service and up-front pricing and financing.

It has years of professional plumbing, heating and air conditioning experience and has tackled thousands of jobs. It aims to earn a customer’s long-term business by correcting issues in a timely and customer-focused manner.

But it also wants its focus as a company to be about investing in its employees, thus creating opportunities to radically change their lives for the better.

Company executives, including CEO Chris DiCampli, say they continually identify key performance indicators in their business and consistently measure and coach to them.



#9

Plus-Plus USA

Greenville

Industry: Toys

Leadership: Ryan Hamilton, head of operations & product development

Greenville-based Plus-Plus USA, founded in 2016, ships to over 5,000 retailers as well as consumers nationwide from its Greenville warehouse.

The company makes products that it says inspire kids and adults to create in new ways. One simple shape - endless possibilities! – in the toy industry.

The company markets itself as not just for kids, but fun for all ages, even ‘kidults.’

Its executives insist the products aren’t just construction toys; they insist the products are an open-ended creative tool for play.

They say every brick easily connects to the next to create colorful flat mosaics or work in 3-D to make more intricate builds.

And they say users can mix and match any Plus-Plus set to bring more ideas to life.

The objective: Empower children with free explorative play and encourage fine motor skills, logic, creativity and imagination all without the use of screens.

Best-sellers include a dinosaur playset bundle, an Apollo 11 playset bundle and a basic learn-to-build.



#10

Intellectual Capitol

Greenville

Industry: IT staffing, security, small application development, organizational management

Leadership: Traci Newkirk, president

Founded in 2003, Intellectual Capitol (ICAP) is a trusted supplier of technology solutions for companies that want to augment their staff with qualified IT talent.

A woman-owned business with a diverse team, ICAP supports state and federal agencies, higher education, financial services, hospitals and commercial firms. ICAP provides the solutions for clients - including many nationally recognized firms - who are seeking candidates to increase innovation and grow their businesses, and also need state-of-the-art software development to serve their own customers better.

The company focuses on software, consulting and staffing. In 2019, ICAP was awarded its fifth consecutive appearance on the Inc. 5000 list, becoming one of only three companies in the state to be featured five times in a row.

Investing in staff members and developing balanced teams is key to the culture at ICAP. Newkirk’s top tip for businesses in growth mode is to take your time when hiring. “Hiring too fast causes a ton of chaos,” she says.



#11

Diesel Laptops

Irmo

Industry: Diagnostic software and hardware for commercial truck and off-highway industries

Leadership: Tyler Robertson, CEO

Founded in 2014, Diesel Laptops is a provider of shop efficiency solutions for heavy truck and equipment repair companies. The company provides this through diagnostic tools, repair information, technician skills training and virtual technical support.

Diesel Laptops carries a complete line of commercial truck diagnostic software, hardware and laptop kits, with products and services covering everything on a commercial truck, including diesel engines, electronic transmissions, ABS systems and more.

CEO Tyler Robertson says the purpose of the company is not the products and services Diesel sells. “Our goal is to take care of the problems that our clients have every day and give them tools and resources to be more efficient at their jobs,” he says. “We seem to always do it backward compared to most other companies. We start with the problem, develop a solution and then figure out how to sell and market that solution.”

The company offers U.S.-based technical support, staffed with computer experts and former diesel technicians. The company offers a money-back guarantee as well as training in a variety of formats, including a YouTube channel, weekly live training classes online, live on-site training and in-classroom classes.

For other businesses in growth mode, Robertson suggests focusing on managing cash. “Cash really is king,” he says. Adding employees, inventory and expenses can make cash management challenging, but he suggests doing everything possible to avoid selling equity in your company, as that’s your most valuable asset.

After hiring more than 30 new employees since March, the company still has 20 open positions at a variety of skill levels, especially software engineers, salespeople, IT professionals, accounting and more.

Diesel relies largely on online marketing, including an online ad network, blog posts, webinars, a podcast, Facebook groups, YouTube and more. “This has allowed us to scale up very quickly and efficiently,” he says.

For those looking to start a business, he suggests learning the basics, but “don’t overthink it.” Start small, learn the foundation for your business: gross margins, ROI on marketing, marketing messages, the sales process and other fundamentals. “Whether you are selling $1,000 per month or $10 million, those principles don’t really change,” he said.



#12

Kopis

Greenville

Industry: Software development

Leadership: Andrew Kurtz, CEO

At Greenville-based Kopis, founded in 1999, employees work in one of the fastest growing, fastest changing industries in the world.

“When we started Kopis 21 years ago, we had a vision of helping our clients solve their tech problems,” said Andrew Kurtz, the software development company’s CEO and founder. “That focus has helped us grow steadily over the years.”

So often growing businesses are hampered by their technology, and leaders don’t have the ability to process the information they need to make informed, proactive decisions, Kopis executives say.

But Kopis aims to fix that with custom software solutions for better business insights, to drive customer loyalty, and help a company stand out in its respective field.

Not only is the majority of its workforce from the Upstate, the company also is beginning the process of working with local colleges and tech schools to keep the young talented tech work force in town after graduation. 

Company officials say they are always searching for talented software engineers to add to their team.



#13

Langston Construction Company of Piedmont LLC

Piedmont

Industry: Construction services

Leadership: Jim Roberts and Evan Sowell, principals

Piedmont-based Langston Construction Company was established in 1969 and is in its third generation of leadership.

Founded in South Carolina as a general contractor, the company continues to grow and provide construction services in the Southeast and Midwest.

Company officials say their work history exemplifies expertise in critical infrastructure, industrial, environmental and commercial projects.

That work history, they say, includes expertise in water and wastewater treatment plants, renovations and expansions and plant maintenance.

The company’s work includes a long list of clients in the industrial, commercial, architectural and engineering consulting markets.

A majority of the company’s work is repeat business, company officials say. Recent projects include work in eastern North Carolina, Georgia and South Carolina.

Consistently recognized as one of the safest contractors in the nation, the officials also say they provide a safe working environment for team members and reduced risk for customers.

Langston Construction is a founding member of the Upstate Training Alliance, which provides craft worker and supervisory training for construction personnel.



#14

Hunter Quinn Homes

Mt. Pleasant

Industry: Home builder, residential developer

Leadership: Will Herring, CEO

Founded by Will Herring in 2013, Hunter Quinn Homes is a Charleston-based new home builder and residential developer focused on attached and detached single-family homes. Hunter Quinn Homes focuses on customer service and a commitment to design, location, quality and value.

Since 2014, the privately held company has closed more than 600 homes. Meeting a growth rate in excess of 500 percent over the course of four years was cause for recognition and inclusion in the Inc. 500 in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020 as well as Fastest Growing companies in South Carolina in 2017 (#4), 2018 (#10) and 2020.

Will Herring, president and CEO, attributes the company’s success and growth to a dedicated team of individuals with extensive backgrounds in housing, operations, land, real estate and finance. Thanks to its success in the Charleston market, Hunter Quinn Homes was recognized as the 2019 Builder of the Year by the Charleston Home Builders Association.



#15

Cantey Foundation Specialists

Camden

Industry: Foundation, crawl space and concrete repair

Leadership: William Cantey, owner

Cantey Foundation Specialists is a foundation and concrete repair company offering quality products, proven services and professional experience to permanently repair any foundation or concrete problem, according to company officials. William Cantey founded the firm after years of experience in commercial grading, foundation stabilization and residential building.

Kimberly Mobley, marketing manager, says the company is “creating life-changing experiences for our families, our customers and our community by redefining our industry. We are changing the customer’s perception so that mediocrity is no longer accepted in the contracting world.”

The company has experienced rapid growth by constantly working to redefine its role and looking for new and better ways to accomplish goals. The entire team knows they are responsible for the brand, and they take pride in that, she says.

“We are doing things differently than anyone else in our industry and will continue to do so,” she says. “Meaning, we’ll never stop redefining. Once we create a ‘new way’ and it becomes status quo, we’ll redefine again and again.”



#16

Cantey Tech Consulting

North Charleston

Industry: IT support and consulting

Leadership: Willis Cantey, CEO

Cantey Tech Consulting helps people get what they want from technology, providing IT support and consulting ranging from help desk support to advanced security, hosting and backups. A team of 65 supports clients, including medium-sized businesses, law firms, medical practices and schools across the Southeast.

Founded in 2007, the company has grown by putting clients first and instilling their trust, according to CEO Willis Cantey.

The goal is to provide the fastest response to IT issues. The company has achieved approximately 20 percent growth each year for the past decade with minimal marketing, which Cantey attributes to a great sales team and a large number of referrals from clients.

Building the right team can mean making tough employee decisions quickly, but he advocates working to keep great people on the team, and says patience is critical when starting a business. “Go for it, but watch every penny as you get started. It will take a while for the business to really get going, so be realistic in your expectations.”



#17

Jeff Cook Enterprises

North Charleston

Industry: Real estate

Leadership: Jeff Cook, CEO

North Charleston-based Jeff Cook Enterprises, founded in 2013 and consisting of Jeff Cook Real Estate, Rent Holy City and Jeff Cook Offers, focuses on leveraging each staff member’s strengths to provide exceptional service while maximizing each team member's talents.

In a company where entrepreneurship and out-of-the-box thinking are the driving factors of its success, Jeff Cook executives say they welcome industry leaders who challenge the norms and are looking to take their business to new heights.

And it should be known, they say, that Jeff Cook Real Estate offers a pathway to 100 percent commissions.

Company executives also say marketing has always been a key point of the company’s identity. It has a full marketing team dedicated to curating bold, trendy, eye-catching creative to voice the company’s messages to the public. The team plans the campaigns almost a year in advance and fully innovates the message into different mediums, the executives say.

In addition, they say most of Jeff Cook Enterprises' leadership has been promoted from within the company and that encourages a focus on its culture.



#18

Frampton Construction

Ladson

Industry: Construction

Leadership: Chad Frampton, president & CEO

Frampton Construction is a full-service construction firm offering planning and design support, preconstruction and construction services.

The dedicated team of professionals takes pride in building strong relationships with clients while providing high quality service, delivering executive leadership and personal oversight throughout the building process. With offices in Charleston, S.C., and Charlotte, N.C., the company is positioned to manage projects in the Southeast and beyond.

The company began in 1977 as Limehouse and Frampton, and in 1993, Charles T. Frampton founded Frampton & Associates. In 2015, under the leadership of Chad Frampton, the company became Frampton Construction.

The marketing strategy at the company “ultimately boils down to doing good work, maintaining our integrity and fostering a strong company culture,” said Chad Frampton, president and CEO.

For those considering starting a business, Frampton recommends that leaders recognize their strengths and weaknesses and fill in the gaps with the right team members. “Instead of trying to do it all, find people who can do it better,” he says.



#19

Equiscript LLC

North Charleston

Industry: Pharmacy management

Leadership: Michael Burkhold, president & CEO

Equiscript runs pharmacy programs that give patients dealing with chronic conditions options for how they receive their medications. By giving patients choices that meet their needs, the company is able to help care providers improve individual patient outcomes and generate new savings for their organizations through 340B drug pricing.

Regulatory uncertainty as it relates to 340B is the company’s greatest challenge, according to CEO Michael Burkhold. 340B requires pharmaceutical manufacturers to provide discounts on their medications when they sell them to safety-net hospitals and health centers that provide care to high-need patient populations.

In August-October of 2020, drug manufacturers including Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca, Merck and others took steps to try to limit patients’ access to 340B savings. Their actions drastically reduced the financial benefit the 340B program provides to safety net hospitals and health centers.

Without access to 340B savings on medications, many of the patients Equiscript serves and the safety-net health centers who take care of them are facing serious financial challenges. “We are trying to help our patients and our customers navigate industry changes, while also being smart about the growth and challenges ourselves,” says Burkhold. “It benefits us all to understand that 340B is part of how our health centers stay open. The program costs taxpayers nothing, and the benefits touch all our communities.”



#20

Perceptive Recruiting LLC

Travelers Rest

Industry: IT-focused staffing and recruiting services

Leadership: Jill Rose, president

Perceptive Recruiting, a certified woman-owned small business, is an IT-focused staffing and recruiting services firm based in Greenville.

Jill Rose, the company’s president, has been meeting the needs of the South Carolina information technology market since 1998.

Clients consist not only of businesses in need of staffing, but top candidates in search of a career.

Perceptive Recruiting says its solutions include IT professionals, software developers and engineers.

Company officials say they are focused on building long-lasting relationships with organizations looking to fulfill technology recruiting and IT staffing. They say they partner with companies to get them the best tech talent available.

The company takes on the challenge of sifting through resumes to locate only the top qualified candidates for a software developer position, but also performs detailed background and drug checks, and follows up to make sure the job is a perfect fit for the candidate and the company.

The result, the company says, is that clients spend less time struggling with their staffing requirements and more time building their companies and organizations.



#21

Holt Consulting Company LLC

Columbia

Industry: Multidiscipline engineering firm

Leadership: Paul Holt and Ken Holt, principals

Holt Consulting Company LLC is a multidiscipline engineering firm providing planning, design and management services for transportation infrastructure. The two founders, Ken Holt and Paul Holt, have more than 65 years of combined experience in the industry, and in June 2013, they decided to use that experience to form Holt Consulting.

The team at Holt understands the importance of balancing business operations with the need to deliver successful projects on time and within budget. The company has built a relationship-based culture that allows them to communicate and work effectively with state and local governments. “We focus on trying to be the best, not the biggest, company,” says Paul Holt, principal. “If you can outperform your competition with service and products, growth occurs naturally.”

Services include airfield design, planning studies, new runways, roadway design, roadway widening, new bridges and more. The two founders spent decades learning transportation consulting from the ground up, from performing the work to managing projects and programs.

His advice for entrepreneurs is to have a back-up source of capital, as “you will probably need double the capital that you think you will need.”



#22

J. Musselman Construction Inc.

Charleston

Industry: general contractor

Leadership: Jon Musselman, president

J. Musselman Construction Inc. is a full service general contractor based in Charleston. The company was founded in 2006.

With general contractor licenses in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia, the company has a strong bonding program in place, according to president Jon Musselman. The company also holds an unlimited construction manager license in South Carolina.

J. Musselman Construction has experience in all aspects of commercial construction, with particular emphasis on medical, office and retail, and has performed work in most South Carolina markets including Charleston, Orangeburg, Greenville, Columbia, Anderson, Florence, Beaufort and Myrtle Beach.

The core management team has decades of experience working together, which has created a cohesive team able to manage the construction process, solve issues and ensure a successful project, Musselman said. Knowledgeable administrative staff members ensure a smooth and efficient operation.

Growth is good, he added, “but controlled growth is even better. Make sure that the growth does not overtake your long-term strategy. And make sure you have the right team in place. It’s very difficult to play catch-up later.”



#23

RealOp Investments

Greenville

Industry: Private equity real estate

Leadership: Reggie Bell, CEO, Kyle Putnam, Partner and CIO, and Paul Sparks, managing principal

RealOp Investments is a commercial real estate investment company founded in 2009 that specializes in value-add and opportunistic acquisitions.

With deep roots in the Southeast, the company’s investment strategy spans all commercial asset classes and is based on a relation-driven pursuit of value - not just identifying off-market opportunities, but in creating value through innovative capitalization structures, management expertise and the execution of unique strategies tailored to each asset.

The leadership team at RealOp Investments has a combined 100 years of experience in the industry and a collective participation of more than $9 billion in real estate transactions. The leaders said that a key growth tactic is building a great team and then getting out of the way, while staying focused on what’s most important.

The firm was named the 2019 Greenville Chamber Small Business of the Year in addition to being named one of South Carolina’s Fastest Growing Companies in 2018 and 2019.


#24

Capital Waste Services

Columbia

Industry: Waste management services

Leadership: Matt Parker, president & CEO

Capital Waste, established in 2015, is the leading provider of waste management service throughout the Midlands, and is now providing solid waste collection service to homes and businesses in the tri-county area, company officials said.

Its residential division provides collection service for more than 54,000 homes in Lexington, Richland, Kershaw and Dorchester counties, and Berkeley County will be added in January 2021. In addition, the company has more than 3,000 commercial and roll-off customers within the Midlands and is steadily growing its presence in the Lowcountry.

Capital Waste employs more than 160 South Carolinians and is working to add more. Many in the leadership team and on the frontline have extensive experience in the industry, and the company makes sure to take advantage of that knowledge by fostering mentorship for new team members, focusing on safety and service delivery.

Top advice for someone interested in starting a business would include building on a foundation of integrity, said COO Brian Yorston. “Starting your business with origins rooted in integrity will never be a regret,” he said.



#25

JEAR Logistics LLC

Mt. Pleasant

Industry: Third-party logistics

Leadership: Mark Neumeyer, CEO

Mount Pleasant-based JEAR Logistics is a third-party freight brokerage firm that provides over-the-road truckload and LTL hauling services.

Established in 2007, JEAR has focused on the refrigerated sector of the 3PL industry, developing class-leading knowledge of the frozen and fresh products it hauls to provide superior service to customers and carriers while protecting the product and providing on-time delivery safely and with integrity.

The company has three locations in the Mount Pleasant area and offers freight pickup, transportation and delivery. It has customers in the Northeast and on the West Coast.

The company says its logistics sales executives – considered the backbone of the company - make the connection with a true understanding of customers' transportation needs, a commitment to carriers and a real-time response 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Top company executives say while they have experienced solid growth year-over-year, they have retained the close, family feeling that makes up the company’s culture.

Employees remain their top priority and the culture they create continues to push the company forward, the executives say.