Having dreamed of entrepreneurship since age 8, Rob Hirschfeld became CEO and co-founder of RackN in 2014, turning this dream into reality. With a vision of helping enterprises run their data centers better, Rob has led the company to new heights. Today, they’ve achieved $500K MRR and doubled in size within 2 years, reflecting Rob’s focus on defining RackN’s positioning and cultural values.
Six years after joining FMP Consulting, Erin Pitera faced a pivotal choice: allow a sale that would alter its culture or buy it with her partners. Becoming co-owner in 2011 and CEO in 2014, Erin led FMP to double in size by 2024. Her focus on authentic leadership secured FMP a spot on the Inc. 5000 list and 13 consecutive CARE awards for their innovative, inclusive and family-friendly policies.
In Memphis, Lauren’s leadership is the secret sauce elevating Huey’s Restaurants to new heights. She’s expanded the restaurant to 10 locations, celebrating their 55th anniversary this year. During the pandemic, she used company savings to retain 675 employees, ensuring a swift recovery post-lockdown. She has a genuine love for people, evident by their community service initiatives.
As the CEO of Capital Bank, Ed Barry is guided by the principle of making a positive impact on those around him. Under his guidance, the bank has grown 700% in 12 years, expanding from 65 to over 400 employees. The company went public in 2018 and recently completed a major acquisition, boosting the stock price by 60% within the first four months.
A full-time CEO and part-time country music artist, William has led WC Construction to 30-50% annual growth, doubling headcount in 2024. His focus on taking calculated risks has proven successful, having secured $22M in projects in early 2025. Ranked #48 on the 2024 Aggie 100 and recognized as one of Houston’s Best Places to Work, William is elevating WC Construction to new heights.
In 2003, opportunity knocked on Kim Prosser’s door. She answered with enthusiasm as she and her husband acquired a Precision Door Service franchise location. Growing from 3 employees and $500K in revenue to nearly $10M and 40 employees, Kim is recognized in the top 10% of all Precision Door franchisees in North America. Over the last 18 years, she has led her team to servicing over 68,000 homes.
Kent co-founded mender in 2019, establishing an electronics recycling venture with a mission-driven culture. When market conditions shifted during the pandemic, he executed a strategic pivot that positioned the company for success. Since then, mender has grown substantially, maintaining efficiency with a streamlined team of 34. His leadership approach balances purpose with performance excellence.
Kelly joined her family’s third-generation construction business in 2011. Through fostering collaboration, implementing a KPI dashboard and launching an employee certification program, she has fueled success. In 2023, revenue soared from $30−40M to $59M, while boosting production by 30-40% with two-thirds of the staff. By modernizing the management style, Kelly has secured its legacy and growth.
With over 42 years in the seafood industry, Mark’s story as CEO of SK Food Brands began when his father founded the company in 1961. After Mark spearheaded the decision to offshore their packing operations – cutting costs and improving quality – his father handed over the reins as CEO. Under his guidance, SK Food Brands has thrived with 200% revenue growth and a rebrand focused on value added products that launched in February 2024.
Jason and his team at SpecterOps has transformed the company from a 13-person startup to a 200-strong cybersecurity leader. SpecterOps provides security solutions for some of the biggest companies in the world, most recently announcing a partnership with OpenAI. Jason’s embrace of a remote-first model because of the incredible talent pool available across the world.
From concert pianist to leading a $20M company, Inna Tuler’s leadership journey is one of perseverance. After arriving in the U.S. with $200, Inna and her husband built Maintco Corp. Following his passing in 2011, Inna became CEO. Under her guidance, Maintco has thrived, growing 100% in 10 years, serving Fortune 500 clients while maintaining a people-first culture and near-zero turnover.
Keeping passengers safe in the skies since 1990, AkroFire has been a quiet guardian, developing fire seals and protection systems for 99% of airlines. Fast forward to 2022, Tom’s CEO journey took a pivotal turn with the sale of AkroFire. For Tom, success wasn’t just about the numbers — it was about creating the right conditions for continued growth while preserving a legacy of innovation and safety.
Carl Heller’s leadership approach is slow and steady, rooted in empowering his people. By developing dedicated leadership teams, he has a solid support system to lead the company into the future. In 2023, he and his 330-person team have achieved 15% growth year-over-year while doubling EBITDA.
In 2008, Demarco Bell co-founded Spotted Hawk Development, an upstream energy company, using $47M of equity from the healthcare industry. He raised over $450 million to fund additional development and a management buyout in 2023. In 2022, the opportunity arose to improve diabetic patient outcomes while increasing cost savings to insurance companies, he co-founded Diabetes Center of Houston and hopes to expand this model nationwide.
Pivoting from academia to entrepreneurship, Sean Forman hit a home run, creating Sports Reference, a leader in sports data. Today, his business is used in front offices and cited by media giants like ESPN. Moreover, he acquired the sports version of Wordle, Immaculate Grid, growing their total audience to more than 20 million unique users each month and their revenue by 350% over the last three years.
Under Anita Andrews-Hutchinson’s leadership as co-founder, It Takes A Village Family of Schools has recently doubled its capacity, boasting six early learning centers, two elementary schools, and a sprawling 9.1-acre campus. Looking ahead, she and her team plan to leverage community partnerships to expand to serve 5,000 annually and scale their internal talent pipeline.
Nikin successfully exited his family business through refining the strategy, securing full-year purchase orders from customers, and demonstrating significant revenue and EBITDA growth, resulting in a higher acquisition value from the previous attempt. Post-exit, he has embarked on a new journey with his investment firm, Front Porch Ventures Partners, which has already raised two impressive funds.
Pivoting from academia to entrepreneurship, Sean Forman hit a home run, creating Sports Reference, a leader in sports data. Today, his business is used in front offices and cited by media giants like ESPN. Moreover, he acquired the sports version of Wordle, Immaculate Grid, growing their total audience to more than 20 million unique users each month and their revenue by 350% over the last three years.
From concert pianist to leading a $20M company, Inna Tuler’s leadership journey is one of perseverance. After arriving in the U.S. with $200, Inna and her husband built Maintco Corp. Following his passing in 2011, Inna became CEO. Under her guidance, Maintco has thrived, growing 100% in 10 years, serving Fortune 500 clients while maintaining a people-first culture and near-zero turnover.
Carl Heller’s leadership approach is slow and steady, rooted in empowering his people. By developing dedicated leadership teams, he has a solid support system to lead the company into the future. In 2023, he and his 330-person team have achieved 15% growth year-over-year while doubling EBITDA.
Jason and his team at SpecterOps has transformed the company from a 13-person startup to a 200-strong cybersecurity leader. SpecterOps provides security solutions for some of the biggest companies in the world, most recently announcing a partnership with OpenAI. Jason’s embrace of a remote-first model because of the incredible talent pool available across the world.
Under Anita Andrews-Hutchinson’s leadership as co-founder, It Takes A Village Family of Schools has recently doubled its capacity, boasting six early learning centers, two elementary schools, and a sprawling 9.1-acre campus. Looking ahead, she and her team plan to leverage community partnerships to expand to serve 5,000 annually and scale their internal talent pipeline.
In 2008, Demarco Bell co-founded Spotted Hawk Development, an upstream energy company, using $47M of equity from the healthcare industry. He raised over $450 million to fund additional development and a management buyout in 2023. In 2022, the opportunity arose to improve diabetic patient outcomes while increasing cost savings to insurance companies, he co-founded Diabetes Center of Houston and hopes to expand this model nationwide.