ANN ARBOR, MICH. – As part of the a2Tech360 series of events, Ann Arbor SPARK presented its 20th annual FastTrack awards to 16 Washtenaw County-based companies that have demonstrated fast growth. Several of the 2018 FastTrack award recipients were multiple year winners. For the first time, CEO Bhushan Kulkarni, accepted awards on behalf of two companies, GDI Infotech and InfoReady.
“Over the years, SPARK has recognized 108 fast-growing companies from Washtenaw County with 270 FastTrack awards,” said Paul Krutko, president and CEO of Ann Arbor SPARK. “This year’s class exemplifies the tremendous talent and dedication that defines the Ann Arbor region’s thriving business community.”
FastTrack awards are presented to companies with impressive records of growth. Recipients of 2018 FastTrack awards were required to have revenue of at least $100,000 in 2014, with an annual growth of 20 percent for the following three years.
Yeo & Yeo CPAs & Business Consultants sponsored the Ann Arbor SPARK FastTrack Awards and verified all of the award applications. In addition to accounting partner Yeo & Yeo, Comcast Business supported the event as a co-presenting sponsor.
One-year award winners
- IndustryStar provides on-demand supply chain services through software technology.
- Swift Biosciences develops molecular biology technologies to better characterize and understand the genome.
- Synecdoche Design is a design-make architecture studio.
- Urban Ashes is a manufacturer of reclaimed wood furnishings and picture frames, employing returning ex-felons and mentoring at-risk youth.
- Zingerman’s Cornman Farms is a historical, award-winning event space, wedding venue and working farm with an artful approach to service for events both intimate and grand.
Two-year award winners
- Akervall Technologies invents, develops, manufactures, markets and distributes a comfortable and safe mouth guard for sports, dentistry and hospitals.
- H3D offers the highest-performance gamma-ray imaging spectrometers that are deployed around the world.
Three-year award winners
- DocNetwork is the leading electronic health record system for camps, childcare and schools.
- J Keller Properties specializes in property management and real estate brokerage in the greater Ann Arbor market.
Four-year award winners
- Arbormoon is a mobile development and strategy company specializing in iPhone, iPad and Android applications.
- CEI Materials is a full-service provider of architectural panel systems and components for the commercial and residential construction industry.
Five-year award winners
- GDI Infotech is an IT consulting and solutions company with deep knowledge and expertise in data analytics and business intelligence.
- InfoReady provides market-leading workflow software that automates competition, review and approval processes for more than 130 higher education institutions.
- Human Element is a software company that focuses on eCommerce and brand oriented web applications.
Ten-year award winner
- Caelynx is a computer-aided engineering consulting firm that helps customers develop superior products and lower costs.
Eleven-year award winner
- LLamasoft’s supply chain design software helps organizations worldwide design and improve their supply chain operations.
About Ann Arbor SPARK
Ann Arbor SPARK, a non-profit organization, is advancing the region by encouraging and supporting business acceleration, attraction, and retention. The organization identifies and meets the needs of business at every stage, from start-ups to large organizations. Ann Arbor SPARK collaborates with business, academic, government, and community investor partners including the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, Washtenaw Community College, Washtenaw County, Livingston County, the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti SmartZone (LDFA), Washtenaw County /Michigan Works!, the City of Ann Arbor, Bank of Ann Arbor and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. For more information, please call (734) 761-9317 or visit www.AnnArborUSA.org.
