ASU Alumni Association announces fastest-growing Sun Devil businesses

In front of nearly 300 alumni, sponsors, faculty and community partners, the fastest-growing Sun Devil 100 businesses were unveiled during an annual awards ceremony on Thursday, April 27, at Mullett Arena.

A record-breaking 157 alumni, who own or lead 125 businesses across the country, were honored as part of the Sun Devil 100 Class of 2023. 

These entrepreneurs are proud alumni who are engaged with their alma mater and who applied for the honor to be recognized as a Sun Devil 100 leader. They range from individual business owners to leaders of large corporations from dozens of industries.

The diverse mix of organizations that make up this year’s class has a combined total revenue of $6.16 billion for the 2021 reporting year and employs nearly 114,000 full-time workers, headquartered in 15 states. The group of Sun Devil alumni graduated from 14 colleges and earned 185 degrees.

“Sun Devil 100 honorees, I want to congratulate you on being a member of a prestigious group of highly talented leaders who embody the entrepreneurial experience, innovative spirit and social impact advanced by Arizona State University,” said Christine K. Wilkinson, president and CEO of the ASU Alumni Association.

“Your success makes us very proud, because it is proof that what we are doing here at ASU is working. For the eighth consecutive year, ASU is the most innovative university, according to the U.S. News & World Report," she added.

Caleb Lihn, ‘02 BA, co-founder and partner of Taylor & Lihn, said he is grateful he attended ASU because it played a significant role in his business success. Taylor & Lihn was ranked the fastest-growing company in this year’s $250,000–$1.999 million revenue category.

“ASU drove a lot of my entrepreneurial spirit,” Lihn said after he accepted the Sun Devil 100 award. 

“Going back to ASU about 10 years ago was probably the best decision I’ve ever made,” Lihn said, because that was when he met his business partner, Emily Taylor, ‘03 BS.

Bob Maguire, ‘13 executive MBA, CEO, co-founder and president of BioLab Sciences, said it was an honor to receive the Sun Devil 100 award for fastest-growing company in the $10 million+ revenue category. 

“It is very humbling,” McGuire said after he accepted the award. “I am proud to represent ASU.” 

To be considered for the Sun Devil 100, companies must be ASU alumni owned or led, have been in business for at least three years, have verifiable revenues of $250,000 or more for each of the past three years and operate in a manner consistent with the ASU Charter.

Representatives of the Top 5 fastest-growing organizations in each of the three revenue categories were called to the stage, congratulated and presented an award. The categories are broken down by revenues of $250,000–$1.999 million, $2 million–$9.999 million and $10 million+.

Baker Tilly, the official accounting partner of the Sun Devil 100, verified and certified the results. 

For a complete list and rankings of the Sun Devil 100 Class of 2023, click here. 

Here are the five top-ranked businesses and representatives in each revenue category: 

$250,000–$1.999 million category 

1. Taylor & Lihn, led by co-founders and partners Caleb Lihn, ‘02 BA, and Emily Taylor, ‘03 BS. 
2. RevampIT AV, Jack Thompson, ‘09 BA, owner. 
3. Ultra Financial Partners, Logan Varela, ‘11 BA, co-founder and president.
4. Point in Time Studios, Rami Kalla, ‘99 BS, '99 BA, president.
5. Kim Joyce & Associates, Kim Joyce, ‘94 BA, CEO.
   

$2 million–$9.999 million category 

1. Phoenix Water Solutions, Kyler Colin, ‘18 BA, founder. 
2. PC Sports Cards, Josh Cohen, ‘05, co-founder. 
3. Rosie’s House: A Music Academy for Children, Becky Bell Ballard, ‘04 BA, CEO.
4. Majestic Water Spouts, Matthew Kayne, ‘09 BS, owner. 
5. Falcon Wealth Planning, Gabriel Shahin, ‘06 BS, president. 

$10 million+ category

1. BioLab Sciences, Bob Maguire, ‘13 executive MBA, CEO, co-founder, president; and Jaime Leija, ‘03 BS, co-founder and chief compliance officer.
2. CCT Research, Nick Bruggeman, ‘10 BA, co-founder and vice president.
3. James Group, Lorron James, ‘05 BS, CEO and owner.
4. Paradox, Aaron Matos, ‘95 BS, CEO and owner. 
5. Dynovis, Bradley Repp, ‘97 MBA, CEO and co-founder.