Ingrams July 2023

Corporate Report100

Hawaiian Bros

2 nd Year

United Real Estate Group 5 th Year Gross Revenue: 2022: $509,765,840 2019: $45,154,890 Growth: 1,028.93% Average Annual Growth Rate: 342.98% Full-time employees: 115 At some point, you have to wonder if there are any limits to the scale that Dan Duffy’s real-estate enterprise can achieve. United Real Estate Group has taken over the top spot as Missouri’s largest realty company, leveraging the power of tech tools to drive sales for nine separate agency brands in its stable. All told, the company says, its platform supports more than 630 offices and 21,000 real estate and auction professionals across four continents. Those brands combine for north of $27 billion in aggregate sales every year. The firm also operates an in-house advertising agency, providing distinctive market ing support and collateral for lifestyle property websites and access to a database with more 650,000 opt-in buyers. The company’s growth flows from Duffy’s disruption of traditional real estate brokerage models; by focusing on what agents need, United enables them to be entrepreneurs in their own right. Earlier this year, he cracked the prestigious Swanepoel Power 200 as one of the nation’s most influen tial realty executives. Back in the Top 10—again—and with four-digit growth over four years—again—you’d think Randy Klindt’s team at Conexon would be due for a breather. No chance: Not only does the recent four-year average of 370 percent stand out this cycle, the company is up 191-fold in size since 2016, the baseline year for its first CR100 appearance in 2020. Conexon works with rural electric cooperatives to bring fiber connections to homes in rural communities, providing end to-end broadband deployment and operations support. It got there by creating a model where, working with an electric distribution cooperative, a rural community can be served with fiber broadband connectivity in a cost-effective way that benefits the electric utility and its membership. The need for such reliable services was exposed during the pandemic; the availability of new government subsidies where electric cooperatives could participate in rural broadband accelerated their involvement in broadband services as well as cre ated a catalyst for the launch of the Conexon, says Klindt. It’s laughable to suggest that annual growth of more than 500 percent, and nearly 1,600 percent over four years, represents a “cooling” phase. Now that the worst of the bucking has stopped, the McNie brothers—founders Cameron and Tyler—are still riding a spirited bronc at Hawaiian Bros Island Grill, which sat atop the CR100 a year ago. The plate-dinner concept—island-styled protein entrée with sides of rice and macaroni and cheese—continues to be a huge hit wherever their next store opens. Their concept is built around the style of lunches that originated with plantation workers in the islands—has proven popular enough to begin franchising, bringing the flavors and culture of the central Pacific to America’s heartland. It now has locations open in eight states, with two more in the works—Arizona and Iowa are next—and in cities that include New York, Chicago, Dallas and Houston. In the Kansas City region, the chain operates 14 storefronts. Driving growth in 2022 was a $25 million private-equity infusion from a single investor. Conexon Gross Revenue: 4 th Year 2022: $173,803,260 2019: $14,332,527 Growth: 1,112.65% Average Annual Growth Rate: 370.88% Full-time employees: 675 Gross Revenue: 2022: $99,562,204 2019: $5,932,392 Growth: 1,578.28% Average Annual Growth Rate: 526.09% Full-time employees: 2,181

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Founders Cameron, left, and Tyler McNie.

(back row, l-r): Randy Klindt, Founding Partner; Andy Burger, SVP-Operations; Jonathan Chambers, Partner; Terie Hannay, SVP-Telecommunications Services. (front row): Jeff Fincannon, SVP-OSP Construction; Abby Carere, SVP-Sales, Marketing & Account Management; Michael Byrne, SVP-Information Systems. Not pictured: Carl Meyerhoefer, SVP-Business Development; David Girvan, VP-Operations; Matthew Blain, CFO.

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(l-r): Rick Haase, COO; Dan Duffy, CEO; David Dickey, Chief Technology Officer; Scott Johnson, CFO; Mike Duffy, President-United Country Real Estate.

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I ngr am ’ s

July 2023

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