INC. 5000 BRANDED CONTENT • INVICTUS

This business powers exponential growth by providing cyber technology solutions to protect U.S. global defenses and critical infrastructure

the right team, with the right people is one of his gifts, and he has been doing it since he was a young boy. Kelly looks for the person with the necessary skills and the proper motivation—the one who wants to conquer the world. These are the people of Invictus—the people he calls The Unconquered.

The company is also unique because nearly 70 percent of employees are veterans. They span all walks of life, and they have all persevered to achieve extraordinary careers. At Invictus, they fi t together like a puzzle to make the company a sought-after partner for solving national security challenges.

BUILT ON A LEGACY

“The secret to recruiting some of the world’s top cybersecurity experts is simple,” Kelly says: “extraordinary people breed extraordinary peo-ple.” Invictus leverages this exceptional talent to solve critical problems. As a result of this mission success, its reputation and growth has continued at a dynamic pace.

Prior to founding Invictus, Kelly built and sold two other successful businesses that also supported government clients. He has spent two decades cultivating relationships and bringing in superior talent, which has enabled him to help deliver unprecedented results for his partners. For instance, within 18 months of its launch, Invictus was on 40 subcontracts, an unprecedented feat. Each subsequent engage-ment paved the way for others and cemented the company’s reputation for blending cyber-security, data science, and intelligence to de-liver the advanced technological and analytical solutions required for critical national defense projects. This year, the company is expected to surpass $80 million in revenue, up from $60 million in 2019. With the talent in the compa-ny, Kelly believes they could be a billion-dollar business within the next fi ve years.

“The Spartans of Invictus will remain un-conquered in the face of adversity, continually defending the gates of this great country of ours.” Kelly says. “Invictus is built to last.”

As cyber threats exponentially increase in number and complexity, so does the demand for cybersecurity skills to combat these threats. Invictus International Consulting, a cybersecu-rity services and technology solutions compa-ny headquartered in greater Washington, D.C., uses its exceptionally talented workforce to an-swer the call to duty every day. Invictus provides strategic and tactical solutions that protect U.S. global defenses and critical infrastructure.

Since its launch in August of 2014, Invictus (Latin for unconquered) has grown from three to 230 employees and now operates across 15 locations, including Seoul, South Korea and Stuttgart, Germany. Last year, the company was No. 103 on the Inc. 5000 list, with a 3,215 per-cent growth rate. This year, it is No. 10 on Inc.’s inaugural ranking of D.C.-area businesses. While the numbers are impressive, it is the peo-ple behind them that set Invictus apart: best-in-class cybersecurity experts and leadership that operates with honor and integrity.

BUILDING AN INSURMOUNTABLE TEAM

CEO Jim Kelly, a retired U.S. naval offi cer, says the company name is a tribute to his late father’s favorite poem, “Invictus,” by William Ernest Henley. The poem encapsulates Jim’s Dad’s belief that nothing in this world is insur-mountable, especially if you believe in yourself and your unconquerable soul.

Kelly believes that everyone has a gift to share, and one of his roles is fi nding the right person for the right job, every time. Building

Unconquered in the Face of Cyber Threats

CEO Jim Kelly

#10TOP D.C METRO

COMPANY

INVICTUSIC.COM

FASTEST GROWING VETERAN-OWNED

BUSINESS IN THE U.S.

#7

REVENUE

3-YEAR GROWTH RATE (2016-2018)

PERCENT

3,215

#1032019 INC. 5000

PROJECTED IN2020

80M

INC. 5000 BRANDED CONTENT • LOGENIX

To reach places other companies can't, this logistics company runs its business like a global intelligence operation

companies. Critical supplies transport—ensuring Malaria, HIV, or other critical treatment makes it from India to Africa, for example—is Logenix’s fastest-growing service. In the last three years, it has doubled headcount at its Fairfax, Virginia offi ce, quadrupled staff at its international head-quarters in Dubai, and opened four offi ces in In-dia, “the generic medicine capital of the world.”

“Since 2010, we have captured this business from large ‘household’ names. They can’t keep up on costs or service. Today we handle more medicines to Africa than any company in our industry,” says Cruse.

GROWTH BY REINVESTMENT

Logenix’s training approach also sets it apart from many larger competitors, says Cruse. Employees learn every area of the business, as opposed to being siloed. As a group, they strive for greatness. The offi ce walls are adorned with inspirational quotes, including Cruse’s favorite, from Aristotle: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but, a habit.”

Culture contributes to the company’s reten-tion rate. Senior staff has been together for al-most thirty years. “Culture” has a second mean-ing for Logenix. They need to understand the cultures of the countries they operate in. Global intelligence gathering is a 24/7 operation. They rely on a network of local connections to help them anticipate, and circumvent, challenges, from workers’ strikes, to new regulations, to government protests. Logenix also invests in cutting-edge technology and communication so it can keep its workforce and its clients informed.

The pieces are in place for continued scale, particularly as global operating procedures become more stringent, says Cruse. “Only the smartest, best trained, and operationally competent” businesses will navigate the new normal, he predicts.

Global logistics is challenging, but it can make for a thrilling and fulfi lling career. Cruse jokes he has never worked a day in his life. His triple-digit growth rate suggests otherwise.

To move cargo in the developing world, you need to be fl exible. Rules and regulations in Af-ghanistan or Pakistan are different than, say, Rwanda or Sierra Leone and can change with-out warning. Anticipating changes is integral to Logenix International’s success. The busi-ness provides logistics services across more than 25 developed nations and 140 developing countries. Its niche is hard-to-reach places— destinations many other logistics companies won’t or can’t get to.

Founder and CEO Ron Cruse credits the company’s recent growth to its focus on trans-porting critical supplies, including medicines for leading health organizations, and its re-investment in infrastructure, IT, and people. Beyond a commitment to doing meaningful work, the team shares a drive for excellence—an ever-moving target, but shooting for it leads to high performance.

GROWTH BY SPECIALIZATION

This isn’t Cruse’s “fi rst rodeo.” He has been fascinated with the developing world since the mid-eighties, when he left a short-lived career on Wall Street to fi nd work that wouldn’t leave him wishing the second hand would tick faster. He founded his fi rst logistics business, Matrix International Logistics, in 1986 after working for a global forwarding company. After the Sovi-et Union collapsed, Cruse organized one of the fi rst US-Russian Joint Venture Companies, Ma-trix NIS. He sold both businesses in 1996 and founded Logenix in 2001, in part at the urging of former employees.

Logenix’s recent growth earns it a place on Inc.’s inaugural ranking of D.C. Metro’s top

Supporting Critical Supply Chains in the Developing World

TRANSPORTING CARGO ACROSS

DEVELOPINGNATIONS

140

Founder and CEO Ron Cruse

3-YEAR GROWTH IN REVENUE

INC. 5000 HONOREE

2008

100+EMPLOYEESACROSS TEN GLOBAL OFFICES

#121TOP D.C. METRO

COMPANY

LOGENIX.COM

101PERCENT

INC. 5000 BRANDED CONTENT • MICRODERM GLO

After investing everything into R&D, one company has used science to become the leader in professional at-home beauty treatments

aesthetician. “We developed the technology us-ing data science and physics and combined it with a super-simple user interface.”

AN AMAZING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Paramadilok stuck with his all-in approach when addressing customer service. Microderm GLO is the only company in its industry that stands behind its products with a 100 percent money-back guarantee and a lifetime warran-ty. “We want customers to know that we are with them on their skin-care journey for life by earning their trust through our breakthrough technology and commitment to an amazing customer experience.”

Microderm GLO recently partnered with Miss America, Betty Maxwell, to further its mission of empowering women to look and feel their best. “We are super excited and proud to have Betty on our team and representing our brand towards this worthy ideal.”

Microderm GLO is a fast-moving company with an industry-leading revenue-per-employee metric. “Everyone on our team wears many hats and is excited to jump in and do whatever it takes to get the job done,” Paramadilok says. Data and metrics drive all decisions, and team members are problem-solvers, constantly on the lookout for opportunities that add customer value.

With Microderm GLO’s three-year revenue growth exceeding 4,000 percent, Paramadilok believes his approach bodes well for the future. “One of our core values is having a 10X mind-set and building for scale,” he says. The team conducts a yearly exercise where they visualize revenue at 10X current level to identify breaking points in all functional areas. They brainstorm different strategic solutions for each breaking point, clarifying and resolving bottlenecks that stand in the way of geometric growth.

Paramadilok’s long-term vision is to contin-ue developing affordable, in-home alternatives to traditionally expensive solutions. “We believe that everyone should have access to solutions that promote health and confi dence, not just those who can afford expensive luxuries.”

There’s no such thing as a sure thing, not in business and not in life. Even professional gamblers fl inch at the prospect of going all-in, but Sidney Paramadilok did just that four years ago, rolling the dice and investing everything into R&D. His gamble paid off big-time.

While the hypercompetitive world of beauty might seem an odd place for someone with a background in deep learning, data science, and information analytics to land, it makes perfect sense to Paramadilok. His scientifi c roots make him “naturally interested in technical solutions that are data-driven and validated through sci-ence and quantifi able results,” he says. That’s just the approach he took in developing Micro-derm GLO, a patented, FDA Class I medical de-vice, and he started with extensive research of the category’s potential opportunities.

In 2016, he identifi ed “a huge gap in afford-able, at-home, medical-grade beauty treat-ments,” particularly in skin care. Microderm-abrasion has traditionally been a costly, in-offi ce dermatology procedure. With monthly treat-ments recommended for best results, it gets prohibitively expensive very quickly.

A key challenge in developing an affordable at-home alternative was that the product would be replacing licensed medical professionals in a clinical environment with inexperienced users in front of their own vanity. “We solved that huge problem by working with the FDA and address-ing the biggest safety risks with safeguards, including our proprietary Safe3D technology,” says Holly Cayton, Microderm GLO’s medical

Big Bet Pays Off For Science-Based Beauty Company

Miss America Betty Maxwell, CEO Sidney Paramadilok, and Medical Director Kim Nguyen

#5TOP MIDWEST

COMPANY

MICRODERMGLO.COM

3-YEAR GROWTH RATE (2016-2019)

PERCENT

4129

TOP MIDWEST RETAIL COMPANY

#1

WORLDWIDEREACH

39COUNTRIES

275MILLION

ANNUAL CUSTOMERSAVINGS

INC. 5000 BRANDED CONTENT • PIVOT INTERNATIONAL

Globally dispersed operations, a deep knowledge base, and a fl at organizational structure make this design and manufacturing fi rm a standout performer

knowledge, and that has allowed us to continue growing at a rapid pace.”

ADAPTIVE CULTURE

ENABLES IMPROVISATION

Pivot uses its entrepreneurial team culture as an advantage in an industry where many competing fi rms tend to be class-oriented and have rigid cultures. “We have a fl at organiza-tional structure and an open-door engagement policy that is highly conducive to maximum per-formance by all teams,” he says. “Our adaptive culture makes it possible for Pivot to improvise more effectively than our competitors.”

Pivot brought its nimbleness and adapt-ability to bear recently in leveraging some cut-ting-edge technology already in its portfolio to develop a solution addressing an important COVID-19 issue. The product uses advanced AI analytics to identify the highest-risk COVID-19 patients versus those at lower risk, helping health care providers make smarter decisions about which patients to put on ventilators.

“About half of COVID-19 patients who are intubated end up with some post-ventilation health issues, so predictive analytics can play an important role here,” Dohnalek says. “The product is nearing the end of its test trials in both the U.S. and the U.K., and there’s a lot of excitement among health care professionals about what it can do.”

Dohnalek has an economics and fi nance degree and an MBA, and he cut his teeth in corporate America. He spent 20 years in senior fi nancial and management roles at large pub-lic companies, including a decade at a medical device fi rm. Pivot International, which was es-tablished in 1994, got hammered in the Great Recession, and when the opportunity to acquire it came up, he jumped at it.

“It was right in my sweet spot,” Dohnalek says. “I’ve been a business owner for nearly 20 years, and I have fun. My theory is that most peo-ple would be good at what they do if they found something they loved. Unfortunately, some peo-ple never fi nd what really inspires them.”

Pivot International credits its explosive growth in recent years to a unique single-source business model that provides turnkey solutions for companies introducing new products. Out-sourcing the entire process of development, de-sign, engineering, and manufacturing to Pivot lets them sidestep staffi ng and infrastructure investments and get new products to market faster and cheaper.

President and CEO Mark Dohnalek acquired the company in 2012, when it had about 100 em-ployees and $10 million in sales. Today it has a global workforce of approximately 450 in 12 offi ces around the world and does nearly $200 million in sales. “We target embedded elec-tronic technology markets, where our technical expertise can help fi rms deliver innovative new solutions to the marketplace,” he says.

The secret to Pivot’s success is a broad tech-nical skill set combined with a deep knowledge base. It’s active in a dozen industry sectors, ranging from IoT and optics to medical devices and industrial design.

Despite its growth and international reach, Pivot has avoided the big-company mindset that bedevils many fi rms of comparable size. “Our success is largely due to our entrepre-neurial culture and creative skill set in our de-sign and manufacturing capabilities,” Dohnalek says. “We consistently take on challenges that appear to stretch our capabilities on paper, but our fundamental strength is our technical

Agility and Skill Set Mean Faster, Cheaper New Product Intros

CEO Mark Dohnalek

#105TOP MIDWEST

COMPANY

PIVOTINT.COM

STATES

CLIENTS IN

12

2-YEAR GROWTH RATE (2016-2018)

PERCENT

185

ACQUIRED/ADDED SINCE 2016

8COMPANIES

450EMPLOYEES

INC. 5000 BRANDED CONTENT • PREMIER HEALTH SOLUTIONS

This industry-leading administrator and general agency contributes its success to innovation, quality carrier relationships, hard work, and an aptitude for change

will move to a bigger offi ce in August 2020. The company is also on track to hit more than $16 million in yearly revenue.

A number of factors fuel this growth. PHS partners with industry-leading insurance car-riers. They have built a strong, hardworking team. They set a plan and stick to it—but re-main fl exible when needed. Wood explains you can’t succeed in the health care industry unless you can pivot. Regulatory changes can “occur overnight, with a swipe of a pen.” PHS has the people, the mindset, and the carrier relation-ships to adapt. Case in point: They have thrived under two very different presidential adminis-trations. Wood and Duly say they are prepared to continue to grow, no matter the results of the 2020 presidential election.

FAMILY-FIRST CULTURE

Finding the talent to support fast growth can be challenging for any company. But Frisco, Texas, is a great place for recruiting. Several large technology and insurance companies are in the area, and Toyota recently relocated its headquarters to nearby Plano. Duly says PHS has been able to draw talent from within the in-dustry, and outside of it, to build a unique and effective senior management team.

A strong culture also attracts talent and keeps turnover low. From the beginning, the partners invested in their staff. They created a family-friendly, fl exible culture and built out a generous benefi ts program that helped set the company apart. “We have folks literally knock-ing on our doors,” Duly says, adding they even hired new employees during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

PHS leadership feels lucky to operate in a near recession-proof industry. They are proud of their success, but they are just getting started. It helps that their biggest foreseeable challenge is one they have solved before: predicting and re-sponding to regulatory changes. Wood and Duly have the experience, relationships, and the drive to solve that challenge again and again.

Eight years ago, Brandon Wood and Brian Duly saw and seized an opportunity: The Afford-able Care Act (ACA) had created a need for more innovative and affordable health care solutions, so agencies and businesses could meet the needs of families across all income levels. To-day, their business, Premier Health Solutions (PHS), is a leading provider of comprehen-sive benefi ts administration and management services to agents, associations, and carriers across the country.

“Traditional major medical plans are not a perfect fi t for all customers,” Wood explains. “We focus on combining insurance plans with ancillary services like telemedicine, lab dis-counts, patient advocacy, and prescription dis-count programs so consumers can gain access to a more well-rounded health care approach. It is not just medical—these products and ser-vices help people manage their everyday health care expenses.”

FROM “SLOW AND STEADY”

TO EXPONENTIAL GROWTH

Wood and Duly spent the fi rst few years building the infrastructure to support the growth they knew would come and building quality products that delivered real value. They self-funded the business, which encouraged deliberate decision making. “Slow and steady” paved the way for exponential increases and a spot on Inc.’s inaugural list of top Texas com-panies. From 2016 to 2018, revenue swelled from just over $4 million, to $8.4 million, and head count increased from 15 to 29 employees. This year, PHS has more than 50 employees and

Providing Affordable, Comprehensive Health Care

Partners Brandon Wood (left) and Brian Duly (right)

#49TOP TEXASCOMPANY

PREMIERHSLLC.COM

STATES

CLIENTS IN

49

2-YEAR GROWTH RATE (2016-2018)

PERCENT

108

#2622019 INC. 5000

INDUSTRY-LEADING CARRIER PARTNERS

25-30

INC. 5000 BRANDED CONTENT • SINGLESSWAG

By focusing on single women, and by mastering digital marketing and customer service, this monthly subscription box service powers steady growth and profi tability

whiz, started advertising on Facebook. After some trial and error, he hit on a formula that works, currently funding a $15,000 daily Face-book ad budget. Plus, he still manages all as-pects of digital advertising himself.

By focusing on engaging content and steer-ing clear of stigmas, the company has also at-tracted an engaged audience of 1.2 million ver-ifi ed followers across Instagram and Facebook. It’s appealing because it’s a no-judgement zone. “People assume that single people aren’t as happy or fulfi lled as their married friends, but we don’t make assumptions. This is just a fun way for women to love themselves,” he explains.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Philanthropy is also important to the Sin-glesSwag team. In addition to donating a por-tion of monthly proceeds to breast cancer re-search, it has donated more than 500 boxes, each valued at over $200, to frontline health-care workers during the Coronavirus pandemic. SinglesSwag sales have increased signifi cantly during the pandemic. Keeping up with demand and customer inquiries has been challenging. The customer service team fi elds hundreds of emails and social media messages every day, “bending over backwards” to ensure subscrib-ers are happy. That commitment is good for retention, increased sales, and ultimately, the company’s bottom line.

Marketing to single women has paid off, but you don’t have to be a singleton to enjoy Sin-glesSwag products. Beskin says some custom-ers aren’t even single—they just love the high retail value of the boxes and the product mix, including SinglesSwag in-house brands like cosmetics line Mollie Jacob and Violet Harper, a jewelry company. Developing these brands while scaling SinglesSwag is keeping Beskin busy. He also recently acquired a new subscrip-tion box service, Paradise Delivered. He is ex-cited about the name and for the opportunity to use his experience and marketing prowess to build another profi table, fast-growing, recur-ring revenue stream.

Even though half of the population is single, unattached people are often ignored by mar-keters. Jonathan Beskin wants to change that. He is the founder and CEO of SinglesSwag, a monthly subscription box service designed for single women, delighting recipients with fun, full-size, self-care and lifestyle products, from skin care and cosmetics, to snacks and best-selling books. Clearly, it’s working: the company ships 45,000 boxes a month to 30 dif-ferent countries.

Savvy digital marketing and a highly en-gaged social media community have fueled a 1,950 percent 3-year growth rate, earning SinglesSwag the No. 9 spot on Inc.’s ranking of Florida’s fastest-growing companies. Best of all, the company has been profi table from the day it launched.

BUILDING A PREDICTABLE

CUSTOMER-ACQUISITION MACHINE

Beskin, a single dad, dreamed up the busi-ness concept on a lonely Saturday night in early 2016. Being a solo parent can be tough, and he realized he could use a little pick-me-up; an un-expected gift would be nice. He began looking at subscription boxes and realized that there were none specifi cally for singles like him. After some market research, he decided that there was a bigger market for such boxes tailored to single women, and his idea was a wrap.

Within its fi rst four months, SinglesSwag landed 400 customers. But it really took off when Beskin, a self-taught digital marketing

How this Subscription Box for Single Women Found Its Niche

Founder and CEO Jonathan Beskin

30+COUNTRIES

CUSTOMERS ACROSS

#9TOP FLORIDA

COMPANY

SINGLESSWAG.COM

CURRENTANNUAL REVENUE

15+MILLION

3-YEAR GROWTH IN REVENUE

PERCENT1,950

BOXES SHIPPED SINCE LAUNCHING

IN MAY 2016

800K

INC. 5000 BRANDED CONTENT • PARKHUB, INC.

This pioneer in parking and access control solutions is driving change for its property owners and consumers

pricing or staffi ng strategy accordingly. “It is a supply-and-demand business, so if you can improve yield management over your assets, you can increase the revenue derived there-from,” Baker notes.

Beyond revenue, ParkHub’s customers also save on labor costs and improve the end-us-er experience by way of streamlined pro-cesses, improved guest satisfaction, faster ingress, and increased non-parking revenue. ParkHub’s case studies show guest satisfac-tion scores improved by 40 percent and overall ROI was more than 700 percent. Baker down-plays the complexity behind the results that his team delivers: “It’s a simple formula: happier customers, arriving earlier, should result in in-creased revenue.”

ParkHub continues to expand its offer-ings. New York, Georgia, and Utah work with ParkHub to manage entry into national state parks and beaches and to enable workers to sell ancillary services, from kayaks to beach towels. LiveNation uses ParkHub at more than 50 of its venues to authenticate and sell park-ing passes and event tickets and to manage access to VIP areas. Baker notes that compa-nies can use ParkHub’s technology, including its business intelligence tool, Suite, to antici-pate customer behaviors and exceed their ex-pectations. For example, a venue using Prime and Suite will know when a customer parked their car, when they entered the venue, what ancillary services they purchased, and when they entered the VIP lounge.

Breadth of capabilities contributes to ParkHub’s high client retention. Beyond that, Baker attributes success to the caliber of the team and culture. Employees use data and core values to guide their decision making and strive to exceed clients', and each oth-er’s, expectations. Their approach is work-ing. ParkHub’s sales pipeline has never been stronger—a testament to the team, the tech-nology, and what happens when you when you reimagine the status quo.

After decades without change, the parking industry was due for disruption. ParkHub, a technology company that provides cloud-based parking and access-control solutions to prop-erty management and venue operating com-panies, is delivering that long-awaited innova-tion to the industry. Its hardware and software services drive operational effi ciencies, reduce costs, and increase revenue for companies. The client case studies are impressive, and Founder and CEO George Baker says that his team is just getting started.

Baker practically grew up in a parking lot. He worked at his family’s parking business, where he dealt with the cascading ineffi ciencies that plagued the industry. Parking attendants fre-quently miscounted (or intentionally overlooked) parkers; operations managers lacked visibility into attendant performance; and venue own-ers lacked the ability to compare event data, if they even had it in the fi rst place. Baker took it upon himself to change the industry. In 2014, he transitioned from parking operations to parking innovation, and since making that shift, ParkHub has grown by at least 100 percent every year, earning the business a place among Inc.’s fi rst-ever list of top Texas businesses.

MORE THAN PARKING; MORE THAN

REVENUE

ParkHub's solutions did more than increase revenue for customers. By digitizing park-ing assets, businesses can view and measure their current parking occupancy and adjust

Ushering Parking Operations into a Contactless Future

Founder and CEO George Baker

#65TOP TEXASCOMPANY

PARKHUB.COM/INC5000

MILLION

491+IN MANAGED

REVENUE

CLIENT RETENTION

98%

DESTINATIONINSTALLS

580MORE THAN

OF THE MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL SPORTS

FRANCHISES

POWERING NEARLY

40%

InvictusLogenixMicroderm GloPivot InternationalPremier Health SolutionsSinglesSwagParkHub Inc.