Top Dallas entrepreneurs announced at Dallas 100™ Awards ceremony

Dallas (SMU) – Link America, LLC is the top entrepreneurial company based in Dallas in 2012. The announcement came at the Annual Dallas 100™ Awards Ceremony and Banquet Wednesday night at the Morton Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas.

Link America, LLC is a high-growth supply chain management and professional services solutions provider to network service carriers, enterprise operators, and their supply chains.  The company, which came in at #2 in last year’s competition, was chosen as the top Dallas 100™ company because it had the biggest percentage sales increase and dollar growth from 2009 to 2011 as determined by the calculations of the accounting firm  BKD CPAs and Advisors.

Dallas 100™, founded by SMU Cox Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship, honors the ingenuity, commitment and perseverance of the fastest growing privately-held entrepreneurial businesses in the Dallas area.  This is the 22nd year the Caruth Institute has organized this event.  Along with Link America, LLC, 99 other Dallas-based companies were ranked in order from 100 to one.  Each one was announced prior to the unveiling of the top Dallas 100™ company. 

The top 10 companies were given special recognition.  They are:

1. Link America, LLC
2. Wingspan Portfolio Advisors, LLC
3. M.G. Bryan
4. BioWorld Merchandising
5. Getaroom.com
6. Quest Resource Management
7. US Power & Environmental, LLC
8. MedSynergies
9. New Century Hospice, Inc.
10. Virtual Tech Gurus      

The twenty-first annual Dallas 100™ Awards Ceremony was presented by the SMU Cox Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship along with sponsors including Executive Press, The Stewart Organization, Amegy Bank, Carr Intellectual Property Law, Evos Financial, The Intersect Group, CresaPartners, KRLD 1080 News Radio, Dallas Business Journal and BKD CPAs and Advisors. 

The founders originally came up with the entrepreneur awards concept in 1990, in the midst of another economically challenging time for the country.  The idea was, and still is, to shine the spotlight on the good news about fast growth companies in the Dallas area.  The event continues to recognize privately held corporations, proprietorships or partnerships headquartered in the area that don’t otherwise get attention, but which have created jobs and generated wealth for their founders and employees

 “The economy relies on entrepreneurs to rejuvenate our economic woes,” said Jerry White, event co-founder and director of the Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship at SMU Cox School of Business. “Entrepreneurs are fundamental change agents who derive innovation, build companies, create jobs and build the wealth of the nation.  In many ways, they are unsung economic heroes.”  

More than 1,000 guests filled the Meyerson Symphony Center for the evening.  A complete list of all Dallas 100™ companies for 2012, ranked from one to 100, follows:     

About SMU Cox

SMU's Cox School of Business offers a full range of business education programs, including BBA, full-time MBA, Professional MBA (PMBA), Executive MBA (EMBA), Master of Science in Accounting, Master of Science in Entrepreneurship, Master of Science in Finance and Executive Education. The school also offers a number of unique resources and activities for students, ranging from its Business Leadership Center (BLC), Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship, Maguire Energy Institute and Global Leadership Program to its Associate Board Executive Mentoring Program and an international alumni network with chapters in more than 20 countries.