Gator 100 honorees

Business Gators own or lead 36 of the top Gator100 companies of 2023

The University of Florida recognized the 2023 Gator100 honorees on Friday, April 21 and included 43 Warrington alumni on the list.

In second place was Pulse Clinical Alliance, LLC, owned by Warrington alum Ricky Caplin (BSAc ‘05, MAcc ‘05). A joint commission certified clinical solutions company, Pulse partners with public and private healthcare systems to help them efficiently staff their workforce through permanent placement, contract staffing and business process outsourcing. 

Presented by the UF Alumni Association, the Gator100 honors the 100 fastest-growing Gator-owned or Gator-led businesses in the world. The event serves not only as a setting where UF’s elite entrepreneurs can gather and share their talents and wisdom, but as an inspiration to fellow Gators to be a part of this exclusive group.

Warrington alumni made up a solid portion of the businesses honored as part of the Gator100, with 36 of the 100 companies on the list led or owned by Business Gators.

Three of the companies in the Gator100 top 10 were Business Gator led or owned, including No. 2 Pulse Clinical Alliance (Owner Ricky Caplin, BSAc ‘05, MAcc ‘05), No. 3 Bearbottom Clothing (Founder Robert Felder, BSBA ‘16, and Director of Operations Megan Simon, BSBA ‘16) and No. 7 Bintelli LLC (Justin Jackrel, BABA ‘05). Of the top 20 Gator100 companies, five are led or owned by Warrington alumni.

Since the first Gator100 nine years ago, twenty-one companies whose leaders come from Warrington have been on the list for several years. JWB Real Estate Capital (No. 73), led by Alex Sifakis (BSBA ‘05), Gregg Cohen (BSBA ‘05), Adam Rigel (BSBA ‘05, MSE ‘06) and Adam Eiseman (BABA ‘03, MS ‘05), has been on the list for six years. Embark Safety (No. 58), founded by Edwin Sosa (BSBA ‘05), has been on the list for five years. Threadly (No. 63), co-founded by Luke McGurrin (BSBA ‘14), has been on the list for five years. 

Almost half of the companies on the list, 46 in total, were first time recipients of the Gator100 award. Thirteen UF colleges are represented on the list and the earliest company founding date is 1956. Twenty-four of the alumni on the list hold two or more degrees from UF. The earliest class year represented on the list is 1970 and the most recent is 2016. There are 80 companies in Florida represented on the list, with Utah, California, Tennessee, Illinois, Maryland, Arkansas, Delaware, Wisconsin, Texas, Louisiana, Colorado, New York, Washington, D.C., South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia being the home to other businesses on the Gator100.  

Gator100 companies have been in business for at least five years and have annual revenues of $250,000 or more. The Gator100 is ranked by compound annual growth rate (CAGR), which is used to determine year- over-year growth over the past three years. CAGR is determined by global accounting firm Ernst & Young, which ensures confidentiality of financial submissions and the integrity of the Gator100. View the complete list of Gator100 honorees.

To qualify for the Gator100, companies must have been in business for five years or more as of Oct. 28, 2022 and have had verifiable annual revenues of $250,000 or more every year for 2019-2021. Companies must also be Gator owned or led by a University of Florida alumnus or former student who served as a chief executive (e.g. CEO, President, Managing Partner, Owner, etc.) from 2019 – 2022.