Smart Business Magazine, October 2017

40 Smart Business Akron Canton October 2017 CASCADE CAPITAL CORPORATION 2017BUSINESSGROWTHAWARDS HONOR ROLL MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY SERVICE Companies listed by industry in alphabetical order firm hosts several events designed to keep employees engaged such as its firm wide Olympic style event in which employees compete in athletic and intellectual challenges Cohen Co s recent survey initiative is meant to take the pulse of the organization and get feedback for continuous improvement Community Hospice Norm Mast Community Hospice has had significant growth over the past five years Last year Community Hospice joined with Health Services of Coshocton to combine resources assuring continued access to hospice services in Coshocton County That same year grant funding enabled Community Hospice to open its first Learning Lab in its Stark County office to provide training for clinical staff Additionally the nonprofits nine fundraising events and proceeds from five community benefits brought in contributions totaling over 25 million Concept Services Daniel Harsh Concept Services has experienced 137 percent employee growth since 2013 averaging over 30 percent growth per year over the past three years This has resulted in job creation throughout Medina and Summit counties via the local businesses and contractors that have partnered with the company In the second quarter of 2016 Concept Services finalized construction of its third campus which is equipped with a dedicated training center for employee training external customer sales skills training and Salesforce com customer relationship management advancement sessions Danbury Senior Living William Lemmon and Brian Spring The first Danbury Senior Living facility was built in North Canton in 1997 During the past five years the brand has grown from 191 residential units to 1156 Once its properties under construction are completed the Danbury portfolio will have 1654 units across 16 facilities Simultaneously company wide employment has increased from 100 employees in 2011 to over 900 this year Danbury expects it could reach 1500 employees by the end of 2018 as it grows and opens new facilities Focal Point Social Media Marketing Shon Christy Focal Point Social Media Marketing has since its inception followed a trajectory of growth in both sales and staff By utilizing social media todays most embraced communication medium Focal Point is helping impact organizations growth The firm is also helping to advance charitable causes Focal Point regularly donates a portion of its revenues to the Up Side of Downs a Northeast Ohio nonprofit advocating for individuals with Down syndrome Great Lakes Fasteners Kevin R Weidinger Great Lakes Fasteners entered the maintenance and repair segment three years ago and has steadily added new clients in that service offering Today GLF supplies fasteners and services through production to plant maintenance The companys packaging division is creating opportunity with its original equipment manufacturer customers GLF sources the fasteners packages them places a custom label on the kit and then ships the finished good directly to the original equipment manufacturers The division has created several new jobs since 2010 Group Management Services Mike Kahoe Group Management Services a professional employer organization that manages HR functions for small businesses has seen its sales climb rapidly in recent years after a period of steady growth Its success has led it to outgrow its current 15000 square foot headquarters requiring a move to a 47000 square foot facility next year though the company will remain in Richfield The new facility should better accommodate its growing staff which has increased from 67 to 180 in the past five years Innovation Foods Thomas Lane Innovation Foods has grown from producing 50 meals a day to over 4000 meals per day for charter schools summer meal programs mobile meals PASSPORT programs and senior centers In the past five years the companys full time staff has more than doubled as it has realized significant sales revenue growth Its also expanding its geographic footprint growing to provide services in six counties Innovation Foods is focused on creating new products and ideas as it looks to impact more Northeast Ohio citizens J Rayl Transport Inc Tim Rayl J Rayl Transport Inc a transportation and logistics company has enjoyed steady growth in the past five years in both sales and headcount Headquartered in Akron the company has four fully staffed offices and seven other locations in four states The company is working to reduce its carbon footprint and reduce fuel costs by transitioning 134 of its 350 trucks to compressed natural gas and built a CNG fueling station in Akron Of J Rayl Transports more than 400 associates at least 250 operate out of Northeast Ohio Jarrett Logistics Systems W Michael Jarrett Jarrett Logistics Systems has grown at an average of 10 percent over the past 10 years The company implemented a full time HR department which has improved hiring and grown the employee count requiring additional office space The company added a 10000 square foot JLS routing center and a 105000 square foot warehouse It has invested in its analytics platform and its transportation management system added a transactional sector and now has a presence in Los Angeles and Indianapolis Katar Holding Inc Kenneth J Brown Since Katar Holding Inc s first Buffalo Wild Wings franchise opened in 1995 in Ashland the franchise count has grown to seven and their presence has expanded to include Richland Stark Wayne Lake and Lorain counties As the number of franchises increased so has Katars employee count The company currently has more than 800 employees working throughout Northeast Ohio Katar expects to continue its growth through investment reinvestment and relocation throughout the region