Northwest Bank Executive Vice President and an Executive at Centennial Tax & Accounting Adam Pelzer shares stories with the crowd as he accepts Centennial’s award for the Fastest Growing Company in the region while Tom Hammar, left, CPA and lead director at Centennial, looks on. A total of 22 companies were recognized at a reception presented by the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal on Thursday, Sept. 7, at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf. CREDIT LAURA ANDERSON SHAW
Only a handful of years after its launch, Centennial Tax & Accounting took center stage at Bettendorf’s Waterfront Conference Center on Thursday, Sept. 7, to accept the QCBJ’s 2023 Fasting Growing Company award. Leaders of this unique and deeply experienced accounting, payroll, tax and financial advisory partnership were joined in the event by an impressive […]
Only a handful of years after its launch, Centennial Tax & Accounting took center stage at Bettendorf’s Waterfront Conference Center on Thursday, Sept. 7, to accept the QCBJ’s 2023 Fasting Growing Company award.Leaders of this unique and deeply experienced accounting, payroll, tax and financial advisory partnership were joined in the event by an impressive field of 21 other honorees at the QCBJ’s second annual Fastest Growing Companies awards. Thursday’s winners were ranked according to revenue growth with both dollar and percentage increases taken into account. The dinner and awards event was made possible by platinum sponsor TBK and gold sponsor Honkamp.
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Tom Hammar, left, and Adam Pelzer of Centennial Tax & Accounting show the award for winning top honors at the Fastest Growing Companies event Thursday night, Sept. 7, at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf. The event was presented by the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Adam Pelzer of Centennial Tax & Accounting thanks the crowd on Thursday night after Centennial won the top award at the Fastest Growing Companies event Thursday night, Sept. 7, at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf. The event was presented by the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
John Lohman, CEO and president of the Corridor Media Group, gives opening remarks on Thursday night, Sept. 7, at the Fastest Growing Companies event at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf. The event was presented by the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
John DeDonker, market ambassador for TBK Bank, welcomes the crowd on Thursday during the Fastest Growing Companies event at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf. The event was presented by the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Gary Scherer of Schroeder Associates holds an award at the Fastest Growing Companies event Thursday night, Sept. 7, at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf. The event was presented by the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Dave Larson of Revive at the Group Spa holds an award at the Fastest Growing Companies event Thursday night, Sept. 7, at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf. The event was presented by the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Brian DeVore and Aundrea Watkins of American Industrial Door Co. hold an award at the Fastest Growing Companies event Thursday night, Sept. 7, at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf. The event was presented by the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Julie Campagna, left, and Blair Williams of Mallard Pointe Kennels hold an award at the Fastest Growing Companies event Thursday night, Sept. 7, at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf. The event was presented by the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Caitlin of Russell holds an award at the Fastest Growing Companies event Thursday night, Sept. 7, at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf. The event was presented by the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Ecogistics was one of the winners at the Fastest Growing Companies event Thursday night, Sept. 7, at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf. The event was presented by the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Barrel House was one of the winners at the Fastest Growing Companies event Thursday night, Sept. 7, at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf. The event was presented by the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Jim Maynard and Ian Frink of the Crawford Company Co. hold an award at the Fastest Growing Companies event Thursday night, Sept. 7, at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf. The event was presented by the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Kevin Wolfe of C&W Transport Solutions holds an award at the Fastest Growing Companies event Thursday night, Sept. 7, at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf. The event was presented by the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Tom Loussaert, left, and Brad Natzke of River Cities Engineering hold an award at the Fastest Growing Companies event Thursday night, Sept. 7, at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf. The event was presented by the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
IMEG was one of the winners at the Fastest Growing Companies event Thursday night, Sept. 7, at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf. The event was presented by the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Pete Loken of Barron holds an award at the Fastest Growing Companies event Thursday night, Sept. 7, at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf. The event was presented by the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Emma Trizzino of Greenspace Associates holds an award at the Fastest Growing Companies event Thursday night, Sept. 7, at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf. The event was presented by the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Bob Shaw of Shaw Electric holds an award at the Fastest Growing Companies event Thursday night, Sept. 7, at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf. The event was presented by the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Per Mar was one of the winners at the Fastest Growing Companies event Thursday night, Sept. 7, at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf. The event was presented by the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Dustin Phelps of Phelps Uniform Specialists holds an award at the Fastest Growing Companies event Thursday night, Sept. 7, at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf. The event was presented by the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Brian Nauman of The Advisory Group holds an award at the Fastest Growing Companies event Thursday night, Sept. 7, at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf. The event was presented by the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Scott Jenson of Salzman International holds an award at the Fastest Growing Companies event Thursday night, Sept. 7, at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf. The event was presented by the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
The Group Obstetrics & Gynecology Specialists was one of the winners at the Fastest Growing Companies event Thursday night, Sept. 7, at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf. The event was presented by the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Fastest growing honorees are self-nominated or nominated by another business. Companies must provide financial information regarding their revenue growth between 2019 and 2022. That information was gathered confidentially by Honkamp, which calculated the growth percentages to determine the company rankings. To capture the No. 1 spot on the 2023 list, the Davenport-based Centennial more than quadrupled profits between 2019 to 2022 thanks to a group of more than 40 professionals who boast 600-plus years of experience and were gathered together under the umbrella of Northwest Bank & Trust. In reflecting on Centennial’s meteoric 418% growth, Adam Pelzer, Northwest Bank’s executive vice president and an executive at Centennial, told local business leaders Thursday at the awards event: “Five times growth is fun, but it’s really chaotic as well.”The firm’s story began five years ago in the Northwest Bank’s boardroom, Mr. Pelzer added, and since launching the new business, the bank and its new experienced partners have been creating a playbook for the future.“Now as one of the larger Quad Cities-based teams providing services to those that want to build their wealth and grow their income, expand their business and transition into the next generation and make an impact on the Quad Cities through not for profit work, we’re really excited about our future,” he said. (For more about Centennial’s rise, see the Sept. 18 edition of the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal.)Future expansions of the business located in the Northwest Bank Tower at 100 E. Kimberly Rd. Suite 500, also are expected to drive up Centennial’s already eye-popping growth. Indeed, its 2019-2022 revenues also outpaced this year’s dynamic second-place Fastest Growing finisher Schroeder Associates. That leading manufacturers' representative agency headquartered in Davenport boasted a whopping 250.37% growth over the same period.In addition to besting this year’s impressive field, Centennial’s 2019-2022 revenues also were nearly double the stunning results recorded by the 2022 QCBJ event’s inaugural winner Revive at the Group Medical Spa. The Davenport-based Revive posted 211% growth between 2019 and 2021. This year, the still-growing Revive came in third place. The medical spa and Schroeder Associates also were among eight companies that returned to this year’s Fastest Growing list. Others included: C&W Transport Solutions, Crawford Company, Ecogistics, Greenspace Associates Inc., IMEG Corp.; and Shaw Electric.In all, the 22 large and small businesses competing for the 2023 Fastest Growing Companies’ top spot posted an impressive collective 67%-plus growth. The list included eight companies with triple-digit growth, and the rest of the field was in the high two-digit range.“That means that tonight’s honorees thrived despite the challenges of operating in a pandemic,” said the event’s emcee John Lohman, CEO and president of the Corridor Media Group, which publishes the QCBJ.“These businesses deserve much more than an award,” he added Thursday. “They deserve our thanks and the respect of people throughout the Quad Cities and economic development officials from throughout the area.”Fastest Growing Award presenter Amy Crist marveled at the triple- and double-digit growth reported by the small and large QC businesses. Particularly considering that most businesses would be pleased with a 2% annual profit, TBK Bank’s senior vice president and Quad Cities commercial banking manager said. During the awards program, videos from many of the Fastest nominees were presented. The 2023 Quad Cities Fastest Growing Companies and their ranking and growth between 2020 and 2022 were:
Centennial Tax & Accounting – 418.01%.
Schroeder Associates – 250.37%
Revive at the Group Med Spa (2022’s winner) – 153.22%
American Industrial Door Company – 123.15%
Mallard Pointe Kennels – 122.76%
Russell – 105.20%.
Ecogistics – 103.21%.
Barrel House – 101.76%.
Crawford Company – 74.11%
C&W Transport Solutions, 67.61%.
River Cities Engineering – 65.38%.
IMEG – 63.69%.
Barron Equipment Company, Inc. – 53.09%.
Greenspace Associates – 52.56%.
Christopher Larsen, DMD, LTD – 41.61%.
Shaw Electric, Inc. – 38.6%.
Per Mar Security and Research Corp. – 34.93%.
Arctic Dental – 29.39%.
Phelps Uniform Specialists – 29.24%.
The Advisory Group, Inc. – 26.15%.
Salzman International, Inc. – 19.95%.
The Group Obstetrics and Gynecology Specialists, Inc. – 17.34%.
"These companies are creating the jobs and wealth that will help grow and sustain the Quad Cities for years to come, and they should be congratulated,” Mr. Lohman said.
