FGC_10 Years

Nate Kaeding talks
about kicking up biz.
PAGE 31
$1.50 I WWW.CORRIDORBUSINESS.COM I A LOCALLY OWNED BUSINESS WEEKLY IN IOWA’S CREATIVE CORRIDOR I MAY 26 - JUNE 1, 2014
Phil Rezin, CEO of Midwest Microwave Solutions, talked about pitfalls to avoid when you’re technologists starting a business venture as he accepted the
2014 Fastest Growing Companies Award on May 20. He urged technologists who lack a broad foundation in business to get help from experienced professionals
outside the company, and to be sure not to neglect their own quality of life.
MIDWEST CONTINUES ON PAGE 6
Eco Lips’ Shriver takes
top award.
PAGE 3
Hiawatha I Founded: 2005
www.mms-rf.com I 3rd time on the list
CBJ spotlights the top 25.
PAGE 5
ST
Corridor’s
EntreFest
Midwest Microwave Solutions repeats
Hiawatha company takes
Fastest Growing honors again
By Dave DeWitte
dave@corridorbusiness.com
CEDAR RAPIDS—No other company has claimed the
Corridor’s Business Journal’s Fastest Growing Company
title twice, let alone twice in three years – the new mark
recorded by Midwest Microwave Solutions.
With revenue growth of 419.8 percent from 2011-
2013, Midwest Microwave Solutions claimed top honors
at the 2014 growth recognition event May 20 at the Cedar
Rapids Marriott, edging out Premier Staffing Inc. with
418.3 percent growth.
“Our continued growth is based more on name recognition
because we’ve had great success in the field,” CEO
Phil Rezin said in an interview. “Midwest Microwave Solutions
has products deployed worldwide, and the products
we’ve had in Afghanistan the last three years have
operated flawlessly.”
The company was in first place in 2012 with growth of
more than 516 percent and in fourth place in 2013 with
growth of 176.2 percent.
A total of 25 companies were honored at the May
20 event based on confidential evaluations provided by
Honkamp Krueger of tax return information submitted
by the companies. The list included four – World Trend
Financial, Ready Wireless, Circle Computer Resources
and Involta – that have made the list four times.
One of the 2014 Fastest Growing winners, TrueNorth
Companies, was the first to be honored by the Corridor
Business Journal in three categories – Largest Privately
Held Companies, Fastest Growing Companies and Coolest
Places to Work.
Rapid growth has characterized Midwest Microwave
Solutions since its inception in 2005 as a radio frequency
consulting and prototyping company by Mr. Rezin and
Steve Wilson. They began producing a line of radio frequency
tuners and digitizers.
Mike Horn, a digital signal processer expert, joined
the company in 2009, and Midwest Microwave Solutions
JUSTIN TORNER
opened a small shop with 1,400 square feet of space in
Hiawatha.
Products from Midwest Microwave Solutions allow
customers to scan any communication band in existence,
from microwave data links to garage door opener signals,
Mr. Rezin said. They are mainstay tools used in gathering
signal information to detect and analyze threats.
Corridor Business Journal
845 Quarry Rd. Ste. 125
Coralville, IA 52241
FOCUS:
FASTEST GROWING
COMPANIES
Featuring the CBJ List of
Fastest Growing Companies
Entrepreneur
of the Year
#1
419.8%
growth
Midwest Microwave Solutions
Fastest
Growing
Companies
Fastest Growing Companies 2014
(Ranked by percentage revenue increase from 11-13)
RANK NAME
HOMETOWN PERCENTAGE GROWTH
1 Midwest Microwave Solutions Inc. Hiawatha 419.8
2 Premier Staffing Inc. Hiawatha 418.3
3 MD Molding Wayland 351.7
4 Ahmann Properties Hiawatha 219.2
5 MediRevv Inc. Coralville 191.5
6 Infinity Contact Inc. Cedar Rapids 136.4
7 Health Solutions LLC Cedar Rapids 118.7
8 Involta Cedar Rapids 110.5
9 Bazooka Farmstar Inc. Washington 106.6
10 IMS Branded Solutions Marion 94.6
11 Compass Commercial Services LLC Hiawatha 92.7
12 Neumiller Electric Iowa City 80.9
13 Innovative Software Engineering LLC Coralville 79
14 Eco Lips Cedar Rapids 76.7
15 Ready Wireless LLC Hiawatha 71.3
Source: The companies featured on this list submitted information to an independent auditor for verification.
Our goal is to provide you with the best professional staffing solutions.
Job Seekers
Employers
Jobs
www.premierstaffing.com
319-730-3890 | 1905 N Center Point Rd. | Hiawatha, IA 52233
319-505-2733 | 2809 University Ave. | Waterloo, IA 50701
customerservice@premierstaffing.com
CBJ’s Fastest Growing Companies 10th Anniversary 23