2013 Fastest-Growing Companies

Three-Year Growth 732% 2012 Revenue $9,754,378 Founded 2009 City American Fork Employees 225 Industry SEO and Internet marketing Website www.boostability.com Founders Rick Horsley, 42; Travis Thorpe, 44; Jared Turner, 36

The Company A provider of SEO services to small businesses, as well as a partner to large advertising groups in which it services and manages their customers who buy SEO. 

The Growth The ability? Stellar SEO. The boosts? Flexibility, fortitude and frugality. The opportunity? Being a replacement for Yellow Page advertising as businesses shift from print media to digital media.

The Growing Pains “Hiring quality employees fast enough, training well enough and having employees understand our vision and culture.”

Best Moment Ever “First paying customer and first strategic partner.”

Hardest Moment Ever “Closing down the company in 2009 when we ran out of money, having employees get other jobs, and deciding on a Plan B to run the company out of our basements. Tough times, but consistent hard work pulled us through.”

Employees in Three Words “Committed. Loyal. Energetic.”

The Advice “Growing is three times more expensive than you think. Be willing to sacrifice your paycheck. Band together during rough times of no money — it pays off during good times. Pivot often from ideas costing you growth and make hard decisions quickly.”

In 2016  “We’ll have growth nationally and internationally and we will double our numbers in customers, revenue and employees. We are going to love every minute of the next three years.”

Three-Year Growth 571% 2012 Revenue $12,790,762 Founded 2008 City Pleasant Grove Employees 289 Industry Telecommunications Website www.clearsat.tv Founder Paul Southam, 34

The Company A door-to-door distributor for DIRECTV.

The Growth With door-knocking dominance, Clear Satellite channeled success the instant it powered on (it won Top First-Year Dealer from DIRECTV). As for its future? Clearer than HD.

The Growing Pains “Keeping the high quality of employees and customers.”

Best Moment Ever “Becoming the largest LSP dealer for DIRECTV for the past two years.”

Hardest Moment Ever “Letting go of good people who don’t have the right skillset.”

Favorite First-Year Memory “Winning a trip to Jamaica for being the Top First-Year Dealer in the country.” 

Employees in Three Words “Integrity. Fun. Hardworking.”

The Advice “You are only as good as the people around you.”

Three-Year Growth 509% 2012 Revenue $31,052,108 Founded 2008 City Orem Employees 35 Industry Financial services Website www.cmsonline.com Founders Dave Decker, 38; Trever Hansen, 35; Kyle Hall, 30

The Company An electronic payments provider — it facilitates payment-processing solutions to retail, mobile, phone order and commerce business across the country.

The Growth One of our UV50 Startups to Watch from 2010, CMS has outdone itself with market maneuvering, strategic partnerships and top-notch leadership. It also ranked a wowza No. 19 on the 2012 Inc. 500. Credit where credit is due. 

The Growing Pains “Ever-changing government regulations and interference.” 

Best Moment Ever “Breaking the top 20 of the Inc. 500.”

Hardest Moment Ever “Living off of credit card cash advances until revenue kicked in.”

Favorite First-Year Memory “Hiring our first ‘real’ employee. She didn’t even last an entire day — she left for lunch and never came back!” 

Employees in Three Words “Trustworthy. Innovative. Reliable.” 

The Advice “Error on the side of taking action. Achievement always goes to the innovators.”

In 2016 “We hope to be among the top 50 payment processors in the nation (competing with major U.S. banks).”

Three-Year Growth 386% 2012 Revenue $5,509,917 Founded 2007 City Provo 

Employees 85 Industry Food service/hospitality Website www.heirloomgroup.com 

Founders Colton Soelberg, 34; Joseph McRae, 47

The Company A family of restaurants (including Pizzeria 712, Communal) that focuses on “Building Community, One Bite at a Time.” 

The Growth Rave reviews (from both critics and the masses) mixed with a heaping helping of local suppliers and ingredients have led to savory success. 

The Growing Pains “Creating the systems to grow in a strong, steady way.”

Best Moment Ever “Paying income tax! (Seriously, it means we are finally making money).”

Hardest Moment Ever “Buying Mountain West Burrito. The logistics and emotions involved in buying someone else’s vision was a completely new experience and challenge for us.”

Favorite First-Year Memory “Working in the kitchen at Pizzeria 712 and watching the dining room fill up on a busy night. I still get goosebumps thinking about it.”

Employees in Three Words “Hungry for greatness.”

The Advice “It isn’t always the right time to grow. Have a plan for who you want to be and work backward from there to plan your growth. Focus = Growth.”

In 2016 “We’ll be positioned as the best restaurant group in Utah, ready for growth outside our lovely state.”

Three-Year Growth 281% 2012 Revenue $68,969,818 Founded 2008 City Orem 

Employees 36 Industry Residential construction Website www.edgehomes.com Founders Gordon Jones, 42; Steve Maddox, 45; Joel Harris, 42

The Company A residential construction company.

The Growth Housed with integrity and quality craftsmanship, Edge Homes has mastered the rocky residential construction market by leveraging strategic partnerships and innovative building solutions. 

The Growing Pains “Adopting to the needs of real-time information for our clients, i.e. Generation X/Generation Want It Now.”

Best Moment Ever “Moving into the new corporate facility in Orem.”

Hardest Moment Ever “Navigating the downturn in the market.”

Employees in Three Words “Passionate. Innovative. Committed.”

The Advice “Define growth as a management group and let that be the emphasis of all communication.  Don’t focus on the result but the path that gets you there.”

In 2016 “We’ll be lending money to Vivint.”

Three-Year Growth 280% 2012 Revenue $22,767,503 Founded 2008 City American Fork Employees 650 Industry Food and beverage Website www.fourfoodsgroup.com Founder Andrew K. Smith, 37

The Company A restaurant management and investment company. 

The Growth Savvy leadership, a willingness to take smart risks and perfect partnerships (its alliance with Kneaders is now legendary) has led Four Foods Group to rank No. 143 on the 2012 Inc. 500 and No. 1 in Utah on Inc.’s Hire Power Awards. Delicious. 

The Growing Pains “Capital. It is hard to get and hard to control when you get bigger.”

Best Moment Ever “Every time we open a new store and I face our 60-plus new employees. We love providing much needed jobs and making a difference.”

Hardest Moment Ever “Summer of 2009, trying to raise capital in the middle of the worst recession ever. No one wanted to help me, nor did they want to take a chance on our business plan.”

Favorite First-Year Memory “Running around with my new staff and business partners at our newest (No. 2) store in West Jordan. We were slammed from opening day, new at this business still, and were running around laughing at each other trying to ‘figure it out’ on the fly. It was a hoot!”

Employees in Three Words “Fiercely loyal friends.”

The Advice “Get Focused. Stay Focused. And get four times the capital you think you need.”

In 2016 “We’ll have 2,500-plus employees, $100 million-plus in annual gross revenue, more than 45 stores in four states and still growing.” 

Three-Year Growth 273% 2012 Revenue $4,218,843 Founded 2009 City Orem 

Employees 21 Industry Packaging materials/electronic accessories Website www.ecoswift.com Founders Rich Jackson, 40; Brigham Budd, 35

The Company A business that specializes in packaging supplies and electronic accessories. 

The Growth A company founded on a growth principle — “if you are not growing you are dying” — Vetora has packaged its company strategy as efficiently and effectively as its products. 

Best Moment Ever “Moving out of the garage.”

Hardest Moment Ever “Opening a second warehouse in Ohio in November 2011.”

Favorite First-Year Memory “Late nights in the garage constantly organizing to make room for daily incoming shipments because we did not have the space to stock up for a month.” 

Employees in Three Words “Smart. Reliable. Amazing.”

The Advice “Have patience. Stay focused. Grow at the pace the company allows you to.” 

In 2016 “We’ll have multiple shipping warehouses across the U.S.”

Three-Year Growth 265% 2012 Revenue $110,702,251 Founded 2006 City Lehi 

Employees 168 Industry Health and wellness/direct sales Website www.drinklifein.com Founder Ken Brailsford CEO Rod Larsen, 48

The Company A provider of natural, earth-friendly products using the “miracle tree” Moringa oleifera.

The Growth Popular products, a history of integrity and a passionate sales force — Zija is a natural.

The Growing Pains “Making the right investments in infrastructure and manufacturing has proven challenging but critically successful.”

Best Moment Ever “April 2013 was our best month ever, which seems to be happening more and more frequently.”

Hardest Moment Ever “Corporate relocation, team building, field leadership development and everything else that happens in business is challenging. The secret is accepting realities and making the correct decisions to step it up to the next rung in each facet.”

Favorite First-Year Memory “That’s easy. Our first event in Salt Lake City in November 2006. We had 200 people in attendance and we were full of destiny and possibilities.”

Employees in Three Words “Focused. Passionate. World-class.”

The Advice “Know what your strategy is and develop and tweak according to your strengths. Then have the guts to pound your weaknesses out and continually evolve for the better. Use your assets wisely and frugally.”

In 2016 “Knowing the key developments that are coming, and based upon our history, there is no reason we cannot reach $300 to $500 million annualized sales levels within the next three years.”

Three-Year Growth 233% 2012 Revenue $542,080 Founded 2009 City Lindon 

Employees 3 Industry Apparel Website www.halftee.com Founder Amanda Barker, 35

The Company A product line of half-tee shirts that works as a layering top without the extra bulk and fabric. 

The Growth A fresh take on the popular layering trend, Halftee has made a name for itself online (Zulily, Daily Grommet and ShopNBC) and in boutiques across 15 states. 

The Growing Pains “Capital and keeping up with production.” 

Best Moment Ever “Finding my business partner!”

Hardest Moment Ever “Almost losing our account on ShopNBC after a huge push to pull off a miracle production line.”

Favorite First-Year Memory “Seeing Halftees featured on CJane.com. Courtney Kendrick helped jumpstart Halftee by introducing it to all her readers.”

Employees in Three Words “Committed. Passionate. Women.”

The Advice “Jump in and do it. You don’t need every piece of the puzzle to make something of a great idea. It will be an incredible amount of work. Nothing will prepare you for this aside from possibly being a parent — but at times children are a lot more fun to love then your business. Seek out people who know more than you; they will take you places you wouldn’t be able to go by yourself.”

In 2016 “We’ll be in every woman’s closet across the United States and expanded into Europe, Australia and Germany.”

Three-Year Growth 213% 2012 Revenue $639,106 Founded 2006 City Highland Employees 8 Industry Design/marketing/web Website www.goodwinmedia.com Founder Stewart Goodwin, 32

The Company A design and development studio. 

The Growth With a client list as long as it is impressive (BYU, A Plus Benefits, Deseret Book), Goodwin Media has designed a company rich with know-how and integrity. 

The Growing Pains “Finding the right people to work in our system. We run our business remotely meaning most of our employees can work from home. I have some office space for them to use if they want, but most enjoy the freedom of creating their own schedules. It’s difficult to find people who excel in that environment without heavy management or oversight. Scaling rapidly in this model can be challenging.”

Best Moment Ever “Personally, being able to take time every day to spend with my wife and kids at times of the day when most dads don’t get to be home — it is amazing.”

Hardest Moment Ever “Deciding to leave my day job to go out on my own completely. It was a hard decision initially, but my employer was very understanding and we created a way to continue to work together with some cost savings for them by transitioning into a contractor. This was about four years ago, and to this day we’re still working with them as one of our clients. It’s a relationship I value very much and am excited we were able to continue working together.”

Favorite First-Year Memory “After completing our first few projects for friends, it was amazing to see people I did not know beginning to contact me. It is always humbling to know people have that much faith in you and, in many cases, are trusting you with their business’ success. It’s something we take very seriously and never want to let them down.”

Employees in Three Words “Reliable. Talented. Honest.”

The Advice “Find people smarter than you.” 

In 2016 “We will continue to build our employee base and develop a real sales force to help initiate more focused growth.”

Three-Year Growth 204% 2012 Revenue $862,016 Founded 2004 City American Fork Employees 30 Industry Food and beverage Website www.subzeroicecream.com Founders Jerry Hancock, 41; Naomi Hancock, 46

The Company A cyrogenic gourmet ice cream experience that flash freezes customized individual portions of cream, flavors and mix-ins into a frozen treat in less than 30 seconds. 

The Growth What started as one ice cream shop in Orem — derived from the mind of founder/scientist Jerry Hancock — has turned into sweet franchising success with 27 locations in the U.S., one location in Dubai and 20 more in the build-out phase. 

The Growing Pains “Finding suppliers for each new area we expand into.”

Best Moment Ever “The airing of ‘Shark Tank’ and the aftermath of that. The amount of positive comments, excitement and support people across the country (and the world) offered to us through e-mails, phone calls and social marketing after seeing our product and presentation was exciting, gratifying and validating. It verified that we do have a great idea; people just don’t know about us yet.”

Hardest Moment Ever “Having to separate from partners and re-take control of our business.”

Favorite First-Year Memory “When we were called into the store because it was so busy and our employees needed help, we brought in our two children, then just 5 and 3 years old, because we didn’t have time to get a babysitter. While we were crazily making ice cream with lines of customers waiting and excited for our product, our kids would weave in and out of the customers, pretending they were in a forest weaving in and out of trees. Probably not the best when it comes to customer service, but our customers were very patient with us as a new store and new idea. Luckily, we do not have to do that now.”

Employees in Three Words “Enthusiastic. Creative. Hardworking.”

The Advice “As much as possible, try to keep services in-house and grow the business on your own. As difficult as it seems, and as tempting and advantageous as partnering or outsourcing seems, no one knows your business or has your vision like you do. That doesn’t mean don’t get funding; but if possible, be careful not to give up control. Have faith in your own abilities, ideas and vision.”

In 2016 “We’ll have 200 to 400 stores and revenue of $5 million, not including store sales.”

Three-Year Growth 202% 2012 Revenue $33,636,793 Founded 2003 City Provo Employees 317 Industry Software Website www.propertysolutions.com Founder David Bateman, 34

The Company A provider of technology solutions for the multifamily industry. 

The Growth Armed with first-class leadership and head-turning technology, Property Solutions has been on the move since it pioneered — and power-housed — its market 10 years ago. 

The Growing Pains “Meeting the software development needs of a diverse and burgeoning customer base.”

Best Moment Ever “Seeing an investor cash out with a huge multiple.”

Hardest Moment Ever “Struggling to make payroll in 2004.”

Favorite First-Year Memory “Landing our first big deal with Triton Investments. They wrote us a $40,000 check for a product that was still ephemeral. Also, winning a bunch of business plan competitions (including Fortune magazine’s) was pretty dang cool.”

Employees in Three Words “Zany. Molten. Awesomeness.”

The Advice “Don’t raise more money than you absolutely need to execute. Preserve equity. Bootstrap.”

In 2016 “We’ll be visibly conquering a billion-dollar industry.”

Three-Year Growth 168% 2012 Revenue $1,850,081 Founded 2005 City Orem 

Employees 10 Industry Ecommerce Website www.LDSbookstore.com Founder Brandon Young, 29

The Company A seller of religious products online. 

The Growth In a popular market, Latter Day Products has found a way to standout (specifically with CTR rings and scripture cases) — and has become an international maven because of it. 

The Growing Pains “Keeping inventory stocked and accurate.” 

Best Moment Ever “Company Christmas parties.”

Hardest Moment Ever “Letting employees go.”

Favorite First-Year Memory “Having more than $3,000 in sales in just one month.”

Employees in Three Words “Fun. Friends. Committed.”

The Advice “Take risks and try new things.”

In 2016 “We’ll be where we are now — just more efficient, bigger and awesomer.” 

Three-Year Growth 163% 2012 Revenue $2,143,096 Founded 2001 City Pleasant Grove Employees 16 Industry Graphic design Website www.riseragency.com Founder Michael Janda, 41

The Company A graphic design services agency. 

The Growth Between its fun clients (Disney, Google, Warner Bros., Pepsi) and its fun culture (RiSER celebrates “overlooked holidays” like Cow Appreciation Day), RiSER has a fun future. Moo-tastic, in fact.

The Growing Pains “Finding the right balance of talent and processes to replicate my own business practices took several years of trial and error. This process was filled with numerous growing pains.”

Best Moment Ever “Designing and building our own office space in 2012 — perfect for our flow of business.”

Hardest Moment Ever “In March of 2009, I was forced to layoff some employees due to the economic downturn. I was emotionally in the dump.”

Favorite First-Year Memory “Landing a project with ABC television. This was my first client outside of my ‘friends’ who had been feeding me projects from the companies they worked at.”

Employees in Three Words “Dedicated. Talented. Quirky.”

The Advice “Nothing will help you sleep at night better than having money in the bank.”

In 2016 “Bigger space. Bigger billings. Bigger people (in quantity, not size).”

Three-Year Growth 151% 2012 Revenue $3,676,602 Founded 2009 City Spanish Fork Employees 35 Industry Franchise development Website www.fivestarfranchising.com Founders Scott Abbott, 38; Chad Jones, 38

The Company A franchise development company that helps early-stage franchisors grow, support and develop their brands. 

The Growth Thanks to fantastic success with sister company Five Star Painting, the founders were able to take that winning formula and create Five Star Franchising, which has become a franchise superstar near and far. 

Three-Year Growth 118% 2012 Revenue $15,247,912 Founded 2002 City Lindon Employees 49 Industry Energy (oil and gas) Website www.profireenergy.com Founder Brenton W. Hatch, 62

The Company An oilfield technology business.

The Growth Standout staff, top technology and a command of the market have more than energized this public company.

The Growing Pains “Learning how to operate from multiple locations — it’s a challenge to allocate responsibilities to new people in new areas. You also have to know when to collaborate and when to operate independently. We’re getting better at it, but it’s certainly a challenge.”

Best Moment Ever “Each new financial benchmark is exciting. Watching the growth happen is probably the most rewarding.”

Hardest Moment Ever “This survey is pretty tough.” 

Favorite First-Year Memory “When we started, we were delivering oilfield parts out of the trunk of a Buick — driving out to the wellsites in this little car and dropping off equipment. We were just getting by with what we could put together.”

Employees in Three Words “Best on earth.”

The Advice “We’ve stayed debt free and have realized a lot of value from that. Maintaining control of your company and proving your company is profitable enough to survive on its own is a strong plus. Think carefully before taking on debt. It can say a lot to potential shareholders that the company is autonomous and not subject to creditors.” 

In 2016 “I see us continuing what we’ve done in the past — growing globally, opening up more offices and hiring more people. We’ll have three to four times the staff and five more offices. We could be in a whole new ballpark of revenue and net income.”

Three-Year Growth 115% 2012 Revenue $2,714,736 Founded 2004 City Lehi 

Employees 19 Industry Education/software Website www.youneedabudget.com Founder Jesse Mecham, 32

The Company A personal software finance company.

The Growth With critical customer focus, user-friendly technology and a subject matter that will never go out of style, YNAB has mastered the art of finance finesse.

The Growing Pains “Hiring the right people. It’s a slow, laborious process, and sometimes you feel like the right person isn’t out there. But you keep looking, never compromise, and things work out.”

Best Moment Ever “We had taken some serious risks to launch the third version of our software, taking on some personal debt and tapping out all personal resources. It was a sweet victory to finally be able to launch the software and have things work out so well. The personal finances were brought back to safety, and I could sleep again.”

Favorite First-Year Memory “My very first sale. I could tell you the lady’s e-mail address if you wanted, because that first sale meant everything to me. It validated that what I was offering would actually appeal to people and help them make progress toward their financial goals. It didn’t help that I had to refund her purchase because the software wouldn’t work on her computer at the time.”

Employees in Three Words “Dedicated. Humble. Caring.”

The Advice “Find the one thing that sets you apart from your competition, and make that one thing stand out. We offer free education that can’t be matched by any of our competitors, and we make sure every potential prospect knows about it. It distinguishes us from the field and justifies higher pricing because of the greater value we’re delivering.”

In 2016 “Our technology will continue to improve, in that we’ll offer more touch points for people to stay ‘close’ to their money. I don’t know if we’ll be a household name, but our word of mouth will continue to be the driving force behind our growth.”

Three-Year Growth 102% 2012 Revenue $94,060,918 Founded 2005 City Lindon Employees 24 Industry Construction 

Website www.big-d.com Vice President Gifford Briggs, 39

The Company A construction management and design-build services company.

The Growth Built with determination, willpower and integrity, Big-D has become an undeniable force in Utah Valley’s commercial construction market with projects ranging from under $1 million to more than $100 million.

Best Moment Ever “The year 2012 represented the largest volume of work ever completed by the Big-D Lindon office since opening our office in 2005.”

Hardest Moment Ever “The recession of 2008 to 2010. It was long and difficult to navigate, but we made it.”

Favorite First-Year Memory “I remember first coming from our corporate office in SLC to open an office in Utah County. We worked out of a job trailer during the winter while building our current office. Good memories!”

Employees in Three Words “Professional. Intelligent. Efficient.”

The Advice “Surround yourself with people smarter than yourself. Never forget that steady wins the race.  It is OK to grow quickly if you have a robust plan in place with smart and capable leadership that has bought into the plan 100 percent.”

In 2016 “Our mission statement is to become the most sought-after construction company in the business. This goal is perfect for us because we have to earn our reputation on every project we build by always bringing our ‘A’ game.”

Three-Year Growth 100% 2012 Revenue $2,463,225 Founded 2004 City Orem 

Employees 80 Industry Beauty/health/retail Website www.amaradayspa.com Founders Tyler Bennett, 33; Leigh Bennett, 32

The Company A day spa, salon and boutique. 

The Growth With laser-like focus on training and customer service, Amara has seen beautiful growth with a booming client base, expanding location and a beloved boutique. 

The Growing Pains “Keeping up the quality and one-on-one guest experience with new employees. We have been fortunate to see thousands of new guests every year, and with new employees we have to work hard to get them trained quickly.”

Best Moment Ever “We don’t really have any one defining moment; however, seeing our employees excel and experience more success than they ever thought possible is the ultimate reward. From an owner’s standpoint, the great moments are the simple thank-you cards or private conversations with employees letting us know we’ve made a difference in their lives.”

Hardest Moment Ever “Expansion in 2012. We bought the unit next door and doubled in size. We had about 120 days of night-only construction work — nights when we closed at 9 p.m., came in and moved out all of the equipment for the workers, then moved it all back at 8 a.m. to open up at 9 a.m. Lots of long, sleepless nights. We can proudly say we didn’t have to close for even one day of business and got it all done without affecting our day-to-day business.”

Favorite First-Year Memory “First year of business there was just Leigh and her little sister working as a receptionist in the basement of our house. It’s neat to reflect back and see where we are today. It’s crazy to think we didn’t really know what we were doing, but we were good at customer service and building relationships — and that has stuck with us from the beginning.”

Employees in Three Words “Energetic. Genuine. Driven.”

The Advice “Don’t focus on growing. Focus on your day-to-day operations and having satisfied customers. Growth will be a result of that. Don’t grow so quickly that you risk the quality of your product or service. Also, growth doesn’t always equal more profit. In fact, in my experience, rapid growth has meant less profit and more capital required to support the growth — be prepared for that.”

In 2016 “We’ll be staying local and getting more and more efficient at what we do. We’ll hopefully continue to grow, and with that growth provide more employment opportunities for Utah County residents.”

Three-Year Growth 100% 2012 Revenue $36,207,368 Founded 2003 City Lehi 

Employees 85 Industry Internet security Website www.digicert.com CEO Nicholas Hales, 56

The Company An online provider of enterprise security solutions with an emphasis on authentication, PKI and high-assurance digital certificates. 

The Growth With an impressive client roster (Facebook, Yahoo and Sony, for three) and the only Certificate Authority to have a five-star rating, DigiCert’s future is as secure as its product offerings. 

The Growing Pains “Continuing to enhance the customer experience as we grow in people and products.”

Best Moment Ever “Reaching a new milestone in annual revenues in 2012 at the same time that we continue to receive a near-perfect rating from our customers via external rating sites.”

Hardest Moment Ever “Each day presents a new challenge for us in our efforts to stay ahead of the curve and offer the best possible experience for our customers. We look forward to the challenges ahead and to continuing our strong growth track.”

Favorite First-Year Memory “The founder covering support calls on a 24/7 basis.”

Employees in Three Words “Essential. Focused. Committed.”

The Advice “Pick something you can be the best at and then stick to it and remain focused on improving your unique offering to the market every day. Value your people more than anything else. If you find the right people, take care of them, and empower them with clear expectations, the resources they need to excel and individual accountability. They will drive your success.”

In 2016 “We expect to be significantly larger in terms of annual revenues, to continue to be a key thought leader and innovator within our industry, and to maintain our exceptional workforce.”

Three-Year Growth 92% 2012 Revenue $11,638,123 Founded 2000 City Pleasant Grove Employees 10 (750 system-wide) Industry Carpet and living surface cleaning Website www.zerorez.com 

CEO James Stone, 48

The Company A provider of environmentally correct and safe technologies and products that include a patented method for cleaning and sanitizing carpets, upholstery, fabrics and hard surfaces without the use of soaps or shampoos. Zerorez supports 25 franchises nationwide. 

The Growth Top-of-the-line technology and a seamless franchise model have led to 13 years of cleaning up the competition. What’s more, when you include revenues from all 25 franchises across the country, sales in 2012 were nearly $50 million. 

The Growing Pains “Managing a franchise system. Because each franchisee is an individual business owner and they are all experienced and well-educated with strong personalities and opinions, keeping and managing a consistent message throughout our system is sometimes a challenge.”

Best Moment Ever “Last year, reaching almost $50 million in revenues — great three-year growth during national economic downturn.”

Hardest Moment Ever “Training the first franchisees.”

Favorite First-Year Memory “Training the first franchisees.”

Employees in Three Words “Loyal. Dedicated. Amazing.”

The Advice “Work hard, be patient, stay focused — and be ready to spend all of your life’s savings on a moment’s notice.” 

In 2016 “We’ll be a dominant company in our industry with more than 150 franchises in the U.S. and ready to tackle the international market — with $500 million in annual revenues.”

Three-Year Growth 92% 2012 Revenue $124,333,507 Founded 2007 City Lehi 

Employees 65 Industry Security and automation Website www.2gig.com 

Founder Todd Santiago, 41

The Company A developer of security and automation systems for residential and small businesses.

The Growth With an exploding industry and a perpetual push for innovation, 2GIG — our No. 1 Fastest-Growing Company last year — has achieved out-of-this-world growth with remarkable revenues.

The Growing Pains “Maintaining a culture of urgency, delivery and results. With 2 Guys in a Garage, it’s a little easier to maintain the entrepreneurial edge. As we have grown, and out of necessity put different processes and procedures in place, it takes significantly more effort to stay flexible and be quick to react.”

Best Moment Ever “Being in our factory in China and watching our first units roll off the production line. Exhilarating!”

Hardest Moment Ever “We were sued by our largest competitor over alleged patent infringement. It is now behind us, but it was a trying time that required (wasted) an inordinate amount of time and resources.”

Employees in Three Words “Dedicated. Loyal. Passionate.”

The Advice “You have to know your customers’ business and industry as well or better than they do. We spend a lot of time with our customers trying to better understand their pain points and needs. Then we go into development mode and build solutions they need  — sometimes before they realize they needed it.”

In 2016 “Our goal is to become the default home control system for millions of homes throughout the world. We will be expanding into international markets in 2013 and will be in multiple countries within three years.”

Three-Year Growth 82% 2012 Revenue $14,847,122 Founded 2001 City Orem 

Employees 94 Industry Software Website www.fishbowlinventory.com 

CEO David Williams, 54

The Company A provider of inventory control solutions.

The Growth As the No. 1 requested inventory solution for QuickBooks, Fishbowl has been swimming laps around its competitors by servicing universities, government agencies and organizations of all sizes. 

The Growing Pains “Managing cash flow to stay debt free.”

Best Moment Ever “Buying back the company from the majority shareholder and then paying off our Zions Bank loan seven years early.”

Hardest Moment Ever “Losing my 25-year-old son — and third Fishbowl hire — to cancer.”

Favorite First-Year Memory “Becoming debt free.”

Employees in Three Words “Committed. Trustworthy. Loyal.”

The Advice “Make sure you are in the ‘people business’ first and doing things second.”

In 2016 “We’ll continue high growth, be debt free and have all employees be owners.”

Three-Year Growth 77% 2012 Revenue $9,272,740 Founded 2004 City Provo 

Employees 161 Industry Inside sales Website www.insidesales.com Founders Ken Krogue, 47; Dave Elkington, 39

The Company A provider of sales automation and analytics for inside sales professionals. 

The Growth InsideSales.com — which has world-class clients like Dell, Inc. and Groupon — has commanded its industry with research-based technology and a first-to-market presence. And with a $35-million round of funding raised this past December, it’s poised for dial domination. 

The Growing Pains “Trying to keep up with the skillsets as managers and leaders. We often say that the company only grows as fast as the people. If we grow the people, they grow the business.”

Best Moment Ever “When we closed our first seven-figure, multi-thousand seat contract.”

Hardest Moment Ever “At the start of the recession, Wells Fargo called in our $150,000 credit line. We thought we were going to have to close our doors, but the employees rallied together and went without pay. After that, sales took off as companies were laying off their expensive outside sales people and hiring two inside sales people to replace them.”

Favorite First-Year Memory “Smelling dental novacane and hearing dental drills. (Our first office was in the basement of a dental office.)”

Employees in Three Words “Tenacious. Driven. Brilliant.”

The Advice “Don’t take money too early. Get your product into production quickly. Swim with the sharks. Worry about the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves. Fire bullets, then cannonballs. Admit when you are wrong. Do good along the way. Love what you’re doing or go somewhere else.”

In 2016 “TWD = Total World Domination.”

Three-Year Growth 74% 2012 Revenue $7,441,580 Founded 2008 City Spanish Fork Employees 20 Industry Promotional products Website www.brandmakers.com 

CEO James Greaves, 35

The Company A promotional marketing, direct importing and branding business. 

The Growth It’s been logo-a-go-go at Brand Makers thanks to marketing know-how, enduring leadership and dreamy customer service. 

The Growing Pains “Running low on cash as we grew.”

Best Moment Ever “Still searching.”

Hardest Moment Ever “Still too painful to discuss.”

Favorite First-Year Memory “Making up testimonials.”

Employees in Three Words “Box of chocolates.” 

The Advice “Call us. We’ve helped a lot of companies grow through awesome marketing ideas.”

In 2016 “We want to continue to fine tune our offering so our clients look like marketing geniuses.”

Three-Year Growth 66% 2012 Revenue $397,200,000 Founded 1998 City Provo 

Employees 2,750/5,000 during summer months Industry Home automation/security services Website www.vivint.com 

Founder Todd Pedersen, 44

The Company A provider of home technology services. 

The Growth Home automation has found the partner of a lifetime in Vivint, thanks to its first-rate technology, impressive management and stalwart sales force working for more than 700,000 customers.

The Growing Pains “Letting people go.”

Best Moment Ever “Blackstone sale.”

Hardest Moment Ever “Going out and getting funding.”

Favorite First-Year Memory “Long meetings.”

Employees in Three Words “Charitable. Hard-workers. Innovative.” 

The Advice “Stay efficient and realize you may need to make sacrifices.”

In 2016 “We’ll be a Fortune 500 company.”

Three-Year Growth 66% 2012 Revenue $3,291,598 Founded 2004 City Springville 

Employees 22 Industry Manufacturing/composite products Website www.rockwellinc.com Founder Vaughn Cook, 45

The Company A manufacturer of composite window wells and construction-related products. 

The Growth Constructed with discipline and determination, RockWell has grown nationwide by focusing on quality products and versatility. 

The Growing Pains “Lack of capital/wearing many hats.”

Best Moment Ever “Sale of first full semi-truck of product, moving to new facilities, and a large private investment.” 

Hardest Moment Ever “Spent my last $10 in gas to pick up a business loan from a family member.” 

Favorite First-Year Memory “Our first sale.”

Employees in Three Words “Invested. Dedicated. Fun.”

The Advice “Grow at the appropriate pace. Have great financial partners.”

In 2016 “I see us at $8 million in gross revenue, an expanded product line and distribution in large box stores.”

Three-Year Growth 64% 2012 Revenue $17,542,312 Founded 2005 City Lindon Employees 75 Industry Mortgage lending Website www.boxhomeloans.com Founders Aaron Brown, 42; Jeff Reeves, 40

The Company A residential mortgage company that lends exclusively to people with great credit.

The Growth Our 2011 No. 1 Fastest-Growing Company is still speeding along successfully. With a straightforward client base and a history of being customer service fanatics, thinking inside the box never looked so good.

The Growing Pains “Explosive growth.”

Best Moment Ever “Looking back it’s not a ‘moment’ — it’s being involved and making a difference.”

Hardest Moment Ever “Layoffs.”

Favorite First-Year Memory “Building something from scratch and thinking, ‘This might just make it.’”

Employees in Three Words “Caring. Hardworking. Loyal.”

The Advice “Map it out and stick with the 20-mile march concept referenced in ‘Great by Choice’ by Jim Collins.”

In 2016 “We’ll become a national household name people are happy to be associated with.”

Three-Year Growth 64% 2012 Revenue $7,022,146 Founded 2007 City Orem 

Employees 30 Industry Manufacturing/plastics Website www.simtekfence.com Founder Brad Wilson, 38

The Company A manufacturer of simulated stone fence systems molded from steel-reinforced polyethylene.

The Growth Boosted by a recovering housing and building materials market, Simtek Fence has grown quickly by grounding itself with quality craftsmanship, stellar partnerships and energized employees. 

The Growing Pains “Nationwide expansion into 2,000 Home Depot retail locations.” 

Best Moment Ever “There’s a new one every month, so whatever I write today will be obsolete.” 

Hardest Moment Ever “Workforce contraction in 2008. Anybody who has had to go through a layoff in order to meet numbers knows it’s the worst.”

Favorite First-Year Memory “Our first mile-long fence order by Ford Motor Company was a significant benchmark.”

Employees in Three Words “Team. Play. Ers. (That’s three, right?)” 

The Advice “Don’t pay attention to the economists and politicians. If you have a good product or service and are dedicated to making it work, you can succeed.”

In 2016 “We’ll be a multinational presence with multiple factories and strong relationships with all major home improvement outlets.”

Three-Year Growth 62% 2012 Revenue $717,519 Founded 2008 City Orem 

Employees 5 Industry Technology/hardware Website www.professionalcable.com 

Founder Jason Bringhurst, 42

The Company A manufacturer and supplier of professional-grade cables, wire and IT products. 

The Growth As a nationally recognized brand in the cable industry, Professional Cable (which just signed a distribution agreement with a $3-billion company in Pennsylvania) has connected with clients by offering popular and hard-to-find cables and networking products.

The Growing Pains “Duplicating what I know.”

Best Moment Ever “Signing a distributor after pursuing them for five years.”

Hardest Moment Ever “Our first year of business, our largest customer filed for bankruptcy owing us $50,000. That hurt for a very long time.”

Favorite First-Year Memory “Running back and forth from the warehouse to the front office to answer the phones to take orders while I was shipping orders. I was a one-man show for most of the first year.”

Employees in Three Words “They love technology.”

The Advice “Manage your cash and manage your growth wisely. Oh, and get a good tax planner so you don’t get a horrible, awful surprise when you file your tax return (wish I would have done that one sooner).” 

In 2016 “We’ll have a few more employees as we continue to add new cables and accessories for all the new amazing devices. As other companies make new gadgets, we make the cables and accessories that connect them all together.”