GrowFL Announces 2018 Florida Companies to Watch Finalists

ORLANDO, Fla. - Oct. 7, 2018 - PRLog -- The Collage Companies is one of the 2018 Florida Companies to Watch as announced by GrowFL. The awards event - now in its eighth year - honors 50 select second-stage companies from throughout the state for developing valuable products and services, creating quality jobs, enriching communities, and broadening new industries throughout Florida. Chosen from a large pool of growing businesses throughout the state, the finalists collectively represented $518 million in annual revenue and employed 2,743 full-time equivalent employees in 2017.

When asked which factors most significantly impacted long-term growth for The Collage Companies, contributing to them being included on: The Florida Companies to Watch list, the company's founder and president, Brian Walsh replied:   "Steady focus, lean management and targeted marketing in markets that our team had not only experience, but expertise set Collage above the norm in qualification- based selection while other less disciplined and diligent companies chose to or were forced to leave the marketplace."

The Florida Companies to Watch program consists of two rounds of selections.  Finalists now advance to the second round, where they will be further evaluated based on their performance in the marketplace, innovative products, services or processes, philanthropy and empowered employees.  Dr. Tom O'Neal, GrowFL Executive Director says: "We applaud these first-round finalists who have shown how they stand out in their regions as innovative business leaders, going to the next level to grow their companies.  They are true rock stars."

The Finalists represent a unique group of scalable, high-growth enterprises that are already located within Florida. These high growth enterprises are an important segment of our economy and their numbers have been steadily increasing, which contributed to Florida's ranking of 24 on the 2018 Kauffman Index of Growth Entrepreneurship. According to this report, "entrepreneurship is not a monolithic phenomenon, and it includes many moving parts. Creating new businesses is a different economic activity from running small businesses, which in turn is different from growing businesses."  Florida Companies to Watch recognizes the different approach needed to successfully grow and scale a business and celebrates those that are working to achieve this goal.

Developed by the Edward Lowe Foundation, Florida Companies To Watch is a distinguished awards program specifically designed to seek out second-stage businesses from a wide range of industries representing all areas of the state, not just those in major metropolitan areas. In addition to evaluating past growth and projected success, applicant companies are judged according to their special strengths and impact in their markets, communities and within the state – thus deeming them "worth watching."  The 2018 honorees will be celebrated at the awards ceremony February 9^th at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa, FL.

The Collage Companies is an established integrated services firm with capabilities and expertise in Design Build, Construction Management, and General Contracting. Collage has served Florida and the southeast since 1982 from their headquarters in Lake Mary, Florida (585 Technology Park). Values of open book communication, win-win conflict prevention, and integration of all team members, have resulted in a high percentage of repeat clients and multiple award-winning projects in both the public and private sectors. Collage pursues community–centric projects with an emphasis on green buildings in the religious, transportation, hospitality, education, government and in the parks and recreation sectors. For more information visit www.collage-usa.com.