Aggie 100

Nominations

Who can nominate a company?: You don't have to be an Aggie, anyone can nominate a company! You may nominate yourself if you'd like! Nominator's information is not made public.

I'd like to nominate someone but I'm not sure if they meet all the criteria. What should I do?: If you know of an Aggie-owned or Aggie-led business that you think meets the criteria, don't hesitate to submit a nomination for them! Nominees will receive an application packet and can choose whether or not they will apply. There is no harm in nominating them for the process.

How do I nominate someone?: You can find the form here. It should take less than a minute!

Can you verify my nomination went through?: After submitting the nomination form, you should receive a confirmation email. If you do not receive this email, please send an email to aggie100@mays.tamu.edu.

General Program Questions

What is the purpose of the program?: The Aggie 100 identifies, recognizes and celebrates the 100 fastest growing Aggie-owned or Aggie-led businesses in the world. The Aggie 100 not only celebrates their success, it also provides a forum to pass lessons to the next generation of Aggie entrepreneurs.

What is involved in the application process?: The application form is fairly simple. A few check boxes, answer a couple of questions related to the criteria, and attach documentation to verify revenues. That's it!

When will the Aggie 100 list be released?: Nominations are open until May 25, 2012. Beginning at the start of May, nominees will be notified and begin the application process.
Those who complete the application process, will be notified in late-August so that they may make plans to be on campus in late-October for the recognition activities. The actual list will be released at the Aggie 100 events on October 26, 2012.

How do you recognize Aggie 100 Honorees?: In addition to recognition in the Texas Aggie magazine and various press releases, each honoree will receive a trophy. The honorees will be invited to campus on October 25-26, 2012 to participate in several activities:
• Welcome Reception – An intimate reception for Honorees and their guests to welcome them back to campus.
• Awards Lunch – We will recognize the 100 companies at a lunch with TAMU leadership, faculty, staff and students.
• Classroom Talks – We will ask interested award recipients to speak in classes across campus that day sharing their lessons learned with students from all areas of study.

Do we have to be available to attend the October ceremonies on campus to be included in Aggie 100?: No. We’d like to have you attend but it is not required.

Qualifications

What are the criteria to be on the Aggie 100 list?: There are four criteria:
• The company must be Aggie-owned or led by Aggies for the program time frame (January 1, 2009 – December 31, 2011).
• The company’s revenues must have been $250,000 or more in calendar year 2009. (Note: This is a change in 2012 from past years where the requirement was $100,000 in the base year)
• The company must have been in business for 5 years or more as of June 30, 2012.
• The company must operate in a manner consistent with the Aggie Code of Honor.

A company must meet all four criteria to be eligible.

What does it mean to be Aggie-owned or led by Aggies?: For the period of January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2011, the company must have been owned OR led by an Aggie or group of Aggies.
• Aggie-owned means 50% or more owned an Aggie or group of Aggies.
• Aggie-led means an Aggie as CEO, President, Managing Partner or Chairman.
• Aggie founded and founder still involved at senior level if not President or CEO.

You must meet one of these criteria. You do not have to meet all three.

Company Info Required and Calculation of Results

What information do you need?: The application form will ask for:
• Contact information
• Company’s conformance to Aggie 100 qualifications (company age, minimum revenue, Aggie ownership / leadership and adherence to Aggie Code of Honor).
• Revenue levels for 2009, 2010 and 2011.

How are the results calculated? How is the Aggie 100 list determined?: For each applicant we will calculate the percentage growth in revenues from 2009 to 2011. Nominated companies are asked to provide high-level information about their organization so that the compounded annual growth rate can be calculated. To view information about 'Compounded Annual Growth Rate', Click Here
After the calculations, the companies will be listed by growth rate from the highest to the lowest. The top 100 fastest growing companies will be named to the Aggie 100.

What is “revenue”?: We are basing our growth calculations on net revenues for 2009 and 2011. Net revenue is meant to be net sales, or sales less returns. For a professional services business it would be gross revenues less any write-downs or discounts.

The application form says “verifiable” revenue. How do you verify revenue?: We need a way of verifying the company’s revenue levels. Some of the ways in which revenues can be verified include:
• Copy of audited, reviewed or compiled financial statements.
• Copy of page 1 of tax return (you can block out other financial data on page 1 if you wish).
• Letter from external accountant attesting to revenue level.

If you have issues/concerns about any of these, feel free to contact us and we will work with you.

The Summit Award

What is The Summit Award?: In 2012, the Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship is introducing a new award, The Summit Award, which will be presented to the Aggie Company with the highest 3-year average revenue.

What are the qualifications for the Summit Award?: Minimum qualifications for The Summit Award are the same as the Aggie 100:
• The company must be Aggie-owned or led by Aggies for the program time frame (January 1, 2009 – December 31, 2011).
• The company’s revenues must have been $250,000 or more in calendar year 2009. (Note: This is a change in 2012 from past years where the requirement was $100,000 in the base year)
• The company must have been in business for 5 years or more as of June 30, 2012.
• The company must operate in a manner consistent with the Aggie Code of Honor.

How are the results calculated? How is The Summit Award recipient determined?: The average revenue will be calculated as a simple average of sales/revenues (net of returns) for 2009, 2010, and 2011.

I have really low growth rates, but high revenues? Can I apply for this award?: Absolutely! We encourage you to! A company does NOT have to make the Aggie 100 list for growth to be presented with The Summit Award.

What information will be released related to this award?: The information we will publish includes company name, city location, names of Aggie principals, year founded and average 3-year revenue. The Summit Award is the exception to our confidentiality and disclosure policies; however the only financial data that will become available to the University is the average 3-year revenue, no other detailed information will become public. The company which is awarded The Summit Award will be expected to sign a disclosure agreement permitting their average revenue number to become publically disclosed.

How do I apply or nominate a company for this award?: The nomination and application process is the same for The Summit Award as the Aggie 100. There is an option for companies who are applying to the Aggie 100 to opt out of consideration.

Use and Publication of Information / Confidentiality

What information will be released?: We will publish the list of the 100 companies honored. The list will include company name, city location, names of Aggie principals, year founded and percentage growth rate. Actual revenue figures WILL NOT be published or otherwise released. The article in the Texas Aggie magazine will feature a brief story on several companies. Those articles will focus on the company’s business (much like the information that can be found on the company’s website). They will not include financial or other statistical information. You may be called for an interview.

How can I be assured of confidentiality?: The financial information you provide during the application process is sent directly to an independent accounting firm that tabulates the results. They will only report the results to the CNVE. The University will not see the revenue levels reported and they will not be made available to the press or any other groups. The accounting firm is PKF Texas in Houston. They provide similar services to awards programs such as the FasTech 50 in Houston.

Where will the information be published?: The Aggie 100 list will be publicized in the Texas Aggie magazine, The Texas Business Journals, press releases, on our website, in Center newsletters and/or similar channels. Specific information about revenues will NOT be published. The only statistical information that will be released will be the percentage growth rate. You may be interviewed by the Texas Aggie magazine staff for the feature. They will only include information you provide to them in that article.

Will my company information be released to the Association of Former Students or the Texas A&M Foundation?: No. All such information will be retained by PKF Texas and not released to the University or any University affiliate.

Sponsorship

I am interested in being a sponsor of the Aggie 100. What options are there and how much does it cost?: We have a variety of sponsorship options available from table sponsorships, reception and luncheon sponsors to event underwriter. Please contact Ashley Crane at 979-845-4882.