SunCommon NY is No. 1 on Chamber’s Top 100 list

Renewable energy, waste services and cardiac safety enterprises edged out 97 other businesses for the top spots in the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce Top 100 this year.

SunCommon NY, a distributor of renewable energy generation, including solar and wind projects, took the No. 1 spot on the 31st annual list of the area’s fastest-growing privately held businesses.

SunCommon founder and CEO Kevin Schulte attributed his company’s growth to both the future of solar energy and SunCommon’s culture.

“We started as a value-led business in 2002 and became a certified benefit corporation in 2015,” Schulte said in a statement. “We grow because of our values and commitment to the triple bottom line of people, planet and profit. Promoting ourselves as a member of the values led business community has presented us growth opportunities in sales, hiring and our connection to the community.”

Waste Harmonics LLC, a waste services broker, took the second spot on this year’s Top 100, while cardiac safety and respiratory services laboratory iCardiac Technologies Inc. rounded out the top three.

“I don’t believe you can achieve the growth we have without a strategic plan and a focus on customer retention,” Waste Harmonics President and CEO Michael Hess said. “They feed off each other. Customer retention has always been a core strength of ours, which is our foundation for customer references and referrals for new business.”

The Top 100 is a Rochester Chamber and KPMG LLP program that ranks businesses based on both dollar and percentage growth.

“The Rochester Chamber Top 100 list serves as a wonderful example of the Rochester and Finger Lakes region’s positive economic evolution,” Rochester Chamber President and CEO Bob Duffy said. “The leading number of companies on the list came from the service, manufacturing, technology and construction industries. We congratulate all of the Rochester Chamber Top 100 businesses and wish them continued success and growth.”

To be eligible for the Top 100, businesses must be independent, privately held, headquartered in the nine-county Finger Lakes region and have a revenue of at least $1 million in each of the three most recent fiscal years.

“iCardiac’s rapid growth is attributable to our ability to blend deep scientific insight with unparalleled customer support,” said iCardiac President and CEO Alex Zapesochny. “We have always recognized that offering great science and technology is important, but it’s not enough. A company must also excel in the human factors, such as proactive communication and dedication to our customers’ goals.”

The annual Top 100 celebration will include an awards dinner and pre-dinner reception Nov. 2 at the Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center.

A full list of this year’s Top 100 can be viewed on the Rochester Chamber’s website.

Follow Velvet Spicer on Twitter: @Velvet_Spicer

(c) 2017 Rochester Business Journal. To obtain permission to reprint this article, call 585-363-7269 or email [email protected].