SBJ reveals fastest-growing company in Springfield area

Sun Solar LLC was named the area’s fastest growing company last night at Springfield Business Journal's annual Dynamic Dozen awards.

The company, which offers solar panel installation and leasing programs, was one of 13 companies honored at the event. Seven individuals also received awards for their professional accomplishments during the ceremony at Oasis Hotel & Convention Center.

The fastest growing companies are ranked based on a formula that awards points for both gross revenue and percentage growth year to year for 2020, 2021 and 2022 .

Sun Solar reported 2022 revenue of $41.2 million, a 210% increase from 2020. Its employee count during that time rose by 155% to 250. Last night’s unveiling of the rankings for the 12 fastest growing companies in the Springfield area marks Sun Solar’s return to the top six years after winning.

"It was a hard-fought road since 2017 when we hit No. 1," founder and CEO Caleb Arthur told the crowd of 280 while accepting the award. "I think sometimes you see that with companies where they can have really explosive growth and you kind of hit that ceiling, and you have to reconfigure and rethink how you run your business. We hit that ceiling in 2017."

In Sun Solar’s Dynamic Dozen profile that will appear in the May 22 print edition, Arthur described a leadership shift in which he started “to lead by example versus just sitting in an office or sitting on a phone in a meeting telling people what I want done.” Next up, he said, is solar panel manufacturing.

Here’s the full list of the 2023 Dynamic Dozen companies:
• No. 1 Sun Solar.
• No. 2 Next Level Solutions.
• No. 3 Little Sunshine's Playhouse & Preschool.
• No. 4 Russell Cellular Inc.
• No. 5 GigSalad LLC.
• No. 6 Keep Supply.
• No. 7 Environmental Works Inc.
• No. 8 Epic Strategies LLC.
• No. 9 Superior Rents & Sales Inc.
• No. 10 OMB Bank.
• No. 11 CoxHealth.
• No. 12 Citizens Memorial Hospital.

Keller Williams Greater Springfield was presented with the Judges’ Choice Award.

Determined by an independent panel of judges, the individual honors were:
• Top CEO: Paul Bosovik, 27North Inc.
• Top Chief Operations Officer: Weston T. Wiebe, College of the Ozarks.
• Top Chief Financial Officer: Cathy Hubert, Harmony House.
• Top Chief Information Officer: Katie Wendt, Environmental Works Inc.
• Top Sales/Marketing Professional: Tessa LeRoy, Environmental Works Inc.
• Top Human Resources Professional: Lindsay Bauer, Keep Supply.
• Employee of the Year: Lisa Christy, Harmony House.

Read more about the honorees in SBJ's May 22 print edition.