1. The 2009 Inc. 500: The Top 10 Black-Run Companies Page 1 of 9
Published on Inc.com (http://www2.inc.com)
The 2009 Inc. 500: The Top 10 Black-Run
Companies
Cedric Franklin Sr., CEO, Harley Stanfield, No. 3
Growing up in Detroit, Cedric Franklin Sr. almost didn’t consider attending college much
less starting Harley Stanfield, a company that finances and manages environmentally-
sustainable rental properties. After 28 years as a successful investment broker, Franklin
left the field because he wanted more choice in what he sold and hated the inevitable task
of breaking bad news to investors. He jumped into real estate as a complete greenhorn,
“everything I’d bought in my life I had lived in,” he says. Franklin’s finance background
gave him a unique perspective on real estate but he also credits his Senior VP of Product
Development Paul Wingate for urging him to go green “before the hubbub.”
William Teel Jr., CEO, 1 Source Consulting, No. 68
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2. The 2009 Inc. 500: The Top 10 Black-Run Companies Page 2 of 9
William Teel went from writing software for the Department of Energy after college to
taking over the department’s entire IT infrastructure. His company, 1 Source Consulting,
runs everything from cyber security to help-desk support for the DOE and has climbed
from No. 76 on last year’s Inc. 500 to No. 68 this year, with revenue of $196 million.
Fez Ogbazion, CEO, Instant Tax Service, No. 93
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3. The 2009 Inc. 500: The Top 10 Black-Run Companies Page 3 of 9
Fez Ogbazion immigrated to the United States from Ethiopia in 1982 and he started his
first business, Instant Refund Tax Service, in his sophomore year of college. After selling
to a Fortune 500 company, he used the money to start Instant Tax Service, which now
operates at a much larger scale than his dorm room venture with over 1,200 locations in
34 states.
Andre Gudger, CEO, Solvern Innovations, No. 121
Since the age of 12, Andre Gudger has been an “ethical hacker.” In addition to a
fascination with computer programming, he was generally studious growing up. “I took
every book home from my locker from 6th grade through my senior year in high school,”
he says. Though he developed a desire to be an entrepreneur in his teens it wasn’t until
his graduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that he really got a
taste of the business world. He took classes in locales as far flung as China, Mexico, and
Brazil, learning about venture capital, corporate ethics, and global operations. All this set
the stage for Gudger to launch the IT and consulting firm Solvern Innovations in 2003.
Now the company has revenue of over $12 million.
Edgar Smith Jr., CEO, World Pac Paper, No. 155
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4. The 2009 Inc. 500: The Top 10 Black-Run Companies Page 4 of 9
Edgar Smith acquired the entrepreneurial drive at a young age, growing up surrounded by
his parents’ small business ventures. Though his father was a veterinarian who oversaw
meat inspection for the USDA and his mother was a teacher, Smith’s parents also owned
a radio station and a stake in Detroit City Cab, a group of African-American taxi drivers
and owners founded in 1928. Smith saw that his parents’ endeavors required a lot of work
but “in exchange for freedom and flexibility.” In 2004, the paper industry veteran founded
World Pac Paper, a Cincinnati, Ohio-based distributor of printing and packaging papers.
Magdalah Silva, CEO, DMS International, No. 191
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5. The 2009 Inc. 500: The Top 10 Black-Run Companies Page 5 of 9
At the age of five, Magdalah Silva and her family traveled from Port-au-Prince, Haiti to the
United States for her father’s job with the state department. In her new school, her
“complicated” name and French accent made her feel insecure and removed from the
other children. In 1994, Silva and her husband Daniel founded DMS International, which
provides IT services to government and commercial clients. One of the biggest challenges
for Silva is “trying not to bring work home.” She adds, “We have not been successful at
that yet” but a shared vision and understanding of our roles within the company really
helps.
Gregory Celestan, CEO, Celestar, No. 225
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6. The 2009 Inc. 500: The Top 10 Black-Run Companies Page 6 of 9
Raised by blue-collar parents in Niagra Falls, New York, Gregory Celestan wanted a ticket
out of town and he needed a way to pay for college. He enrolled in West Point Military
Academy and became a foreign area officer, someone who studies the language and
culture of a region for military intelligence, specializing in Russian studies. In 2004,
Celestan retired having served 20 years and reached the rank of lieutenant colonel. He
recalls watching large defense contractors at work and thinking “I can do that better,” so
after the end of his service he founded Celestar, which provides intelligence support to
government organizations. Though larger companies like Lockheed Martin and Boeing do
a lot of similar contract work, Celestan says, “the government likes working with small
companies like us because we’re flexible.” The challenge is building a team with both the
technical expertise and the security clearance.
Marcell Haywood, CEO, Dirt Pros EVS, No. 232
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You might not recognize Marcell Haywood but you’ve likely seen his company’s work. Dirt
Pros EVS provides custodial, facilities and maintenance service to customers that include
airports, office buildings, colleges, and restaurants. At the age of 22, Haywood co-founded
the company with Antwuan Dixon, a member of his Florida State University basketball
team. Haywood says that he and Dixon were separated from their partying peers because
they “had a deliberate work ethic and wanted to build something of our own as opposed to
climbing the corporate ladder.”
Bobby Blackwell and Darrell Childs, Founders, GS5, No.
383
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Most people could tell you the price of a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread at their grocer’s
but Bobby Blackwell (pictured) is intimate with the price tags of airplanes, submarines and
automobiles. Blackwell founded GS5, which helps the government with acquisition and
budgeting for military equipment, with Darrell Childs (pictured), Michael Wood, and John
Gorsuch. Their organization helps the Department of Defense articulate the requirements
for their big ticket items to legislators and Blackwell says, the job presents the “satisfying
challenge of framing issues in a way that people will understand it and embrace your
ideas. When they get it and support it that can be very rewarding.”
Michael Battle, CEO, Battle Resource Management, No.
455
http://www.inc.com/print/110 8/26/2009
