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Fla. Companies With Promise
These, all founded within the past 10 years, have experienced growth that has brought them to prominence. Vote for the most promising. Also, read other success stories of older companies.
Rosen Hotels & Resorts Inc., Orlando
Founded: 1974
2007 Revenue: $284 million
Growth: Starting with one hotel 34 years ago, Orlando hotelier Harris Rosen grew Rosen Hotels and Resorts into Florida’s largest independent hotel chain. The company’s seven properties have a total of 6,300 rooms.
Tech Data Corp., Clearwater
Founded: 1974
2007 Revenue: $23.4 billion
Growth: Started 34 years ago to market data processing supplies directly to end users of mini and mainframe computers, Tech Data has grown into one of the world’s largest distributors of technology and the state’s largest publicly held firm.
Colorado Boxed Beef Co., Auburndale
Founded: 1975
2007 Revenue: $629 million
Growth: The family business started by Richard and Edith Saterbo has grown into a multimillion-dollar company, specializing in manufacturing, processing and distributing beef products in the southeastern U.S.
National Gold Exchange Inc., Tampa
Founded: 1977
2007 Revenue: $178 million
Growth: Since its formation 31 years ago, the National Gold Exchange has become the world’s largest gold and silver rare coin wholesaler.
Sykes Enterprises Inc., Tampa
Founded: 1977 in Charlotte, N.C.; moved to Florida in 1993
2007 Revenue: $710 million
Growth: Founded as a small technical engineering firm in North Carolina, Sykes Enterprises branched into technical writing, software design and eventually customer service call centers. Today, the outsourcing giant employs 29,500 people at more than 45 global call centers.
CSX Corp., Jacksonville
Founded: 1978
2007 Revenue: $10 billion
Growth: Twenty-eight years after the Chessie System and Seaboard Coast Line merged to form the CSX Corp., CSX is one of the nation’s leading transportation companies, providing rail, intermodal and rail-to-truck trainload services. The company's transportation network spans approximately 21,000 miles, with service to 23 eastern states and the District of Columbia, and connects to more than 70 ocean, river and lake ports.
The Related Group, Miami
Founded: 1979
2007 Revenue: $1.25 billion
Growth: Under Jorge Perez’s leadership, The Related Group has built and managed more than 70,000 condominium and apartment residences throughout Florida, making it one of the largest builders of luxury condominiums in the U.S. The private company’s current development portfolio includes projects valued in excess of $10 billion.
Spirit Airlines, Miramar
Founded: 1980
2007 Revenue: $761 million
Growth: Launched in 1980 as a Detroit-based vacation tour operator called Charter One, the airline changed its name to Spirit Airlines in 1990 and moved its headquarters to Florida in 1999. Today, the “ultralow cost carrier” has 185 daily flights to 36 destinations, and its 2007 revenue of $761 million was up 40% from 2006.
Trouble Ahead? Rising fuel costs could take a toll on the carrier. Department of Transportation figures suggest that the airline lost $4 million in 2007 after oil prices began to spike.
Chico’s FAS Inc., Fort Myers
Founded: 1983
2007 Revenue: $1.7 billion
Growth: Since opening one shop on Sanibel Island 25 years ago, Chico’s has become one of the fastest-growing women’s specialty apparel retailers in the country, with 1,063 women’s specialty stores.
Trouble Ahead? Net profits have been falling and the company’s stock has lost 87% of its value over the past two and a half years.
Spanish Broadcasting System Inc., Coconut Grove
Founded: 1983
2007 Revenue: $179 million
Growth: Following the purchase of his first station 25 years ago, WVNJ-AM in New York, Cuban refugee Raul Alarcon and his son, Raul Alarcon Jr., built SBS into the nation’s largest Hispanic radio broadcaster.
Office Depot Inc., Delray Beach
Founded: 1986
2007 Revenue: $15.5 billion
Growth: Twenty-two years after three entrepreneurs opened the first Office Depot store in Fort Lauderdale, the company is the second-largest office supply chain in the nation with 1,600 stores worldwide.
Citrix Systems Inc., Fort Lauderdale
Founded: 1989
2007 Revenue: $1.4 billion
Growth: Started with $3 million by ex-IBM software developer Ed Iacobucci, Citrix is a global leader in application service software and services that offer “digital independence,” that is the ability to run an application on any device over any connection, wireless to web.
Rooms to Go, Seffner
Founded: 1990
2007 Revenue: $1.8 million
Growth: Over the past 18 years, Rooms To Go has become one of the country’s largest furniture retailers, with 150 furniture showrooms in nine states.
Elizabeth Arden Inc., Miramar
Founded: 1992
2007 Revenue: $1.1 billion
Growth: In 2001, French Fragrances, a Miami Lakes-based manufacturer of fragrance and cosmetic products, purchased Elizabeth Arden from Unilever for $225 million and adopted the Elizabeth Arden name. The global beauty products company surpassed the billion-dollar sales mark in 2007.
AutoNation Inc., Fort Lauderdale
Founded: 1996
2007 Revenue: $17.7 billion
Growth: Founded by billionaire businessman Wayne Huizenga in 1996, CEO Mike Jackson has transformed AutoNation into the nation’s largest automobile dealer, with 243 dealerships in 15 states.
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