Spirit
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EntErprisE AwArds
LawLogix Group, LLC
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n 2000, LawLogix cofounder Brian Taylor was sitting at a Burger King near the consulate in nogales, Mexico, waiting for a new U.S. visa to be approved. His own immigration experience was time consuming and frustrating, and he knew there had to be a better way for immigrants to share their case information with attorneys. So LawLogix — a software company focused on creating the easiest-to-use and most secure immigration case management and I-9 compliance software available — was born. Brian and his co-founder Dan Siciliano, a law professor at Stanford, set out to develop a service that would automate what is otherwise a time-, labor-, and paper-intensive hiring and visa application process. Today, LawLogix software and services are used by more than 155,000 organizations and 4.2 million foreign nationals worldwide.
Nature of business: I-9, E-Verify, and immigration case management software Address: 3111 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85012 Web: LawLogix.com Founded: 2000 Employees: 52
NJOY, Inc.
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JOY’s electronic cigarettes are designed to mimic the addictive elements of smoking — the nicotine and the handto-mouth-inhale habit — without the cost that smoking causes, including the high cost, odor, and social stigma. nJOY’s electronic cigarettes look and feel like a real cigarette, emitting what looks like smoke but is actually a smokefree vapor. The “smoker” inhales nicotine vapor but no tar or tobacco. CEO Craig Weiss said that more than anything, nJOY is a technology company. “Cigarettes haven’t changed in 70 years,” he said. “We’ve developed a revolutionary technology that I hope will make tobacco cigarettes obsolete.” nJOY leads the electronic cigarette market with a 40 percent share. Craig knows that lead will be challenged soon, and he’s prepared. “We have a David v. Goliath mentality. Our little company took on the FDA in 2009, and we won. We view Big Tobacco the same way.”
Nature of business: Electronic cigarettes Address: 15211 N. Kierland Blvd., Suite 200, Scottsdale, AZ 85254 Web: njoy.com Founded: 2006 Employees: 30
82 AB | November-December 2012
Optimal Performance Training
Real Property Management East Valley
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Nature of business: Performance in health, fitness and life Address: 725 W. Commerce Ave., Gilbert, AZ 85234 Web: OptimalAZ.com Founded: 2008 Employees: 4
Nature of business: Fullservice residential property management Address: 950 E. Brown, Mesa, AZ 85203 Web: RPMEastValley.com Founded: 2007 Employees: 32
n 2008, Joey Bellus quit his job as a personal trainer to follow his dream of owning a health and fitness training center. He started out training five clients in a 150-squarefoot exam room within a chiropractor’s office. A year later, he made the big decision to sign a three-year lease on a much larger space. It was, he said, “the scariest risk I had ever taken.” After two weeks of setting up the new location, Joey had $90 left to his name. “That was it ... The only way I overcame that challenge was self-belief.” That outlook is one defining feature of Optimal Performance Training, where trainers work with more than 100 clients. “We not only challenge our clients to better themselves physically, but mentally as well. We encourage them to live life ‘out of the box’ and push their personal boundaries. Conquering fears, setting bigger goals, doing things in daily life that will help them live.”
hen Clint Rowley and his wife Kim started Real Property Management East valley in 2007, they wanted to change the perception that property managers are a necessary evil and few good ones exist. Just 30 days after launching the business out of a spare bedroom in their home, Clint and Kim were managing 100 properties. Today, the company manages more than 1,400 units, and has consistently posted revenue growth of 30 percent a year. not that Real Property Management East valley hasn’t been through its share of ups and downs. “In 2009 and 2010,” Clint explained, “we lost about 600 homes to foreclosure – more than most companies ever manage ... We had to grow stronger and smarter.” The positive environment at Real Property Management East valley is clear: “Our employees don’t just work for us, we work for them and we all work as a team.”
Total Transit
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hen Total Transit CEO Craig Hughes bought a small airport cab company in 1984, he had only ridden in a cab twice, never in Phoenix. needless to say, he had to learn on his feet, and learn quickly. He did, and today Total Transit is a cab company unlike any other. For starters, the company manages both public and private transportation services, including Discount Cab, express route and paratransit service for valley Metro, and service for many of the largest Medicaid and Medicare providers in the region. It’s a model Total Transit hopes to see spread. “We are truly committed to integrating and managing public and private transportation services in a new way. Our goal is to create the most efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible transportation network possible.” Total Transit has grown 25-35 percent annually over the last few years and set to grow more than 40 percent this year.
Nature of business: Transportation services Address: 4600 W. Camelback Rd., Glendale, AZ 85301 Web: TotalTransit.com Founded: 1984 Employees: 300