Lakeland, FL – NuJak Companies was named to the University of Florida’s 2018 Gator100 during a ceremony Feb. 2nd at UF’s J. Wayne Reitz Union Grand Ballroom.
Sponsored by the UF Alumni Association, in partnership with the UF Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center, the Gator100 recognizes the 100 fastest-growing businesses owned or led by UF alumni. Ernst & Young calculated each company’s compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the past three years to generate the ranking.
NuJak Companies was ranked in the Top 10 for the second year in a row, ranking at #2, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 147.44%, rising from last year’s CAGR of 123.57%.
NuJak Companies is a full-service commercial construction company providing preconstruction, construction management, design-build, and general contracting services across the state of Florida. In 1992, UF alum, Frank Kendrick, founded NuJak Companies in Lakeland, FL. Last year, NuJak received the most awards and recognitions in its history, at nine, including the University of Florida Association of Black Alumni’s Trailblazer Award for Outstanding Success in the Construction Industry, the number 6 spot in the 2017 Gator100 List, the Florida Fast 100 List as the 10th fastest growing company in the state of Florida, and Governor Rick Scott’s Business Ambassador Award. Frank Kendrick received his Bachelor of Building Construction from the University of Florida’s M.E. Rinker School of Construction Management in 1989.
“I thought being an honoree last year and taking the #6 spot overall was amazing, especially since it was my first time at Gator100,” said Frank Kendrick, President & CEO of NuJak Companies. “But coming back for the second time as one of the 55 repeat Gator100 honorees, competing against other companies with talented, forward-thinking leaders, and being able to move up to the #2 ranking, is truly a blessing! Not only that, I’m extremely proud of the fact that the #1 and #2 spots this year are held by black-owned construction firms, representing the College of Design, Construction, and Planning.”
“The Gator100 honors UF alumni from across the university who are founding and growing amazing companies around the country,” said Kent Fuchs, president of the University of Florida. “It’s an incredible affirmation of the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit of the Gator Nation.”
To qualify for the Gator100, companies must have been in business for five years or more as of Oct. 1, 2017 and have had verifiable annual revenues of $250,000 or more in 2014. Additionally, a UF alumnus or alumna must have met one of the following three leadership criteria:
- Owned 50 percent or more of the company from Jan. 1, 2014, through Oct. 1, 2017; or
- Served as company’s chief executive from Jan. 1, 2014, through Oct. 1, 2017; or
- Founded the company and been active as a member of the most senior management team from Jan. 1, 2014, through Oct. 1, 2017.
The UF Alum being honored at this year’s Gator100 are an impressive group of entrepreneur’s and business leaders. The top-ranked company was ACY Contractors, LLC., another full-service construction company whose President & CEO, Michael Young, earned his BS in Building Construction from the College of Design, Construction, and Planning in 1997. ACY Contractors, LLC. earned a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 159.51% to take the top spot. Additional statistics on the 2018 Gator100 honorees include:
To view the full list of Gator100 honorees, go to gator100.ufl.edu.
For more information, please contact Margarita Alfaro, Marketing Director at [email protected].
About NuJak
NuJak Companies, Inc. is one of the leading full-service, minority-certified, construction companies in the state of Florida. With offices in North, Central, South, and Southwest Florida, the company specializes in providing preconstruction, construction management, design-build, and general contracting services to clients in the K-12 & Higher Education, Government, Healthcare, Religious, Industrial/Warehouse, Recreational, and Commercial/Retail industries.