Warrington alumni make up almost 40% of 2024 Gator100
The University of Florida recognized the world’s fastest-growing Gator Businesses the weekend of April 19-20, and 36 Warrington alumni were named on the 2024 Gator100 list.
Warrington alumni led in the top 5 Gator100 businesses. Transfr, an emerging leader in virtual reality based vocational career exploration and pre-apprentice training and led by alumnus and CEO Bharani Rajakumar (BSBA ’04), earned the No. 2 spot on the list. Crown Atlantic Business Brokers, led by alumni Jackie Hirsch (BABA ’97) and Lee Ossin (BS ’02, MSM ’03), was the No. 3 business on the list. Justin Jackrel’s (BABA ‘05) Bintelli, a manufacturer and distributor of powersport products like street-legal golf carts, electric bicycles and gas-powered mopeds and scooters, came in at No. 5 on the 2024 Gator100.
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.
This year marks the 10-year anniversary of the program, which originally started in the Warrington College of Business Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center. Over the years, inaugural sponsor Ernst & Young has continued to perform the calculations to determine each company’s compounded annual growth rate.
Warrington alumni made up a solid portion of the businesses honored as part of the Gator100, with 32 of the 100 companies on the list led or owned by Business Gators.
Since the first Gator100 10 years ago, 18 companies whose leaders come from Warrington have been on the list for several years. SSP Innovations, led by Skye Perry (BSBA ’00) has been on the Gator100 a record nine times, while Rob Alday’s (BA ’03) Abode Luxury Rentals has made the list eight times. Athletes Thread & Threadly, represented by CMO Luke McGurrin (BSBA ’14), has earned a spot on the Gator100 six times.
More than half of the companies on the list, 59 in total, are repeat honorees, while 41 companies are first-time honorees. Thirteen UF colleges are represented on the list across 12 different states and the earliest company founding date is 1950.
In addition to the businesses honored, Collier Companies Executive Chairman Nathan S. Collier (BSBA ’74, MBA ’78) was awarded the S. Clark Butler Pinnacle Award. The prestigious honor recognizes established business leaders who have demonstrated sustained success and leadership in their industry.
Gator100 companies have been in business for at least five years, have annual revenues of $250,000 or more or 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.) for the past three years. 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.
