Our 59 Top Companies

In these days of recession and uncertainty, it’s heartening to see local businesses prosper. Our “Top Companies” lets us do just that, showcasing Sarasota and Manatee standouts that grossed more than $20 million this year.

But in a sign of the times, this year’s list features just 59 local companies with combined 2009 revenues of $14 billion, $700 million less than our 2008 totals. Five years ago, at the peak of the real estate market, we boasted 101 Top Companies totaling more than $19 billion in revenues.

Many of our perennial Top Companies reported decreased revenues this year—a recession trend that now reaches beyond construction and real estate into industries like manufacturing (down 15 percent from 2008) and retail (down 4 percent).

But one sector is growing briskly. The five healthcare companies on our list, led by powerhouses Sarasota Memorial, Doctors Hospital and Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, collectively notched an 8 percent gain in revenues this year. Sarasota’s family-owned Mercedes Medical, which competes with multibillion-dollar national distribution companies, has continued its steady climb, reporting $21.5 million in 2009 revenues (6 percent higher than 2008) and predicting $25 million in 2010. (Read more about Mercedes Medical on page 24.) “Universal healthcare is going to bring millions of new patients into the marketplace,” says Mercedes CEO Alexandra Miller.

And even though construction companies now make up less than a fourth of our Top Companies list—a big change from a few years ago—we saw signs of recovery. Holland Construction and Zirkelbach Construction both showed more than respectable gains (up 5 percent and 26 percent, respectively), crediting diversification and increasing opportunities for construction projects across the state. (More on Holland Construction on page 21.) Is there a light at the end of the tunnel for local builders? Says Holland CEO Joe Holland, “We are in a growth mode in the Florida market.”