LESCO gains in ranking top black businesses
Other local firms make magazine's national listings
Friday, May 27, 2005
Anita Williams credits a strong, loyal work force and a lot of prayer with helping Logistics & Environmental Support Services Corp., or LESCO, to be such a thriving company today.
The Huntsville-based firm, which provides technology and facility support to the government, had sales of $74.9 million last year and has a staff of about 950 people. The company's sales grew 42 percent last year, compared with 2003.
LESCO was just a two-person operation when it was incorporated 13 years ago.
That kind of growth earned LESCO a No. 49 ranking on Black Enterprise magazine's B.E. Industrial/Service 100 list for 2005. LESCO had a No. 66 ranking last year. The B.E. 100 list includes the largest black-owned businesses in the country. (By the way, Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Inc. is No. 14, with 284 employees and 2004 sales of $275 million.)
"We're excited," said Williams, the company's president, chief executive officer and sole owner. The ranking "shows we're getting better every year."
Huntsville-based Tec-Masters Inc. tied for No. 55 on the list for industrial/service companies. The 298-employee company, which specializes in engineering technology and information logistics support, reported 2004 sales at $68 million. The president and CEO is Dr. Marvin Carroll.
Madison Research Corp., a Huntsville-based firm that provides information technology and engineering services, is No. 57 on the industrial-service list. The number of employees was listed at 725 with sales at $65 million for 2004. The president and CEO is John Stallworth.
Huntsville Autoplex, which sells DaimlerChrysler, Nissan, Toyota, Dodge, Infiniti and Lexus automobiles, was ranked No. 44 on the B.E. Auto Dealer 100. The firm, which started in 1995, moved up from 47th place last year. Sales for 2004 were $61 million. Ellenae Fairhurst is the company's chief executive.
LESCO graduated in January 2004 from the Small Business Administration's 8(a) program for small and disadvantaged businesses. In the June issue of Black Enterprise, Williams said the company in 2004 began to move away from relying on its 8(a) connections by vying for contracts open to government and industry bidders.
"Not many businesses wanted to try to bid against the government," she said, "but we tried it and we started winning."
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