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24 fast-growing San Antonio companies earn spots on coveted Inc. 5000 list

24 San Antonio companies made it onto Inc. 5000's list.

Two dozen San Antonio-based companies have undergone explosive growth in revenue over the last few years, with one such business landing in the top 200 of the prestigious 2023 Inc. 5000 list.

Selma-based independent real estate brokerage Redbird Realty ranked No. 188 nationally, boasting an incredible 2,842 percent growth rate from 2019 to 2022. The company also ranked within the top 25 Texas business on the list, coming in at No. 22. (Check out one of their unique past listings to see why it's so popular.)

Companies on the 2023 Inc. 5000, released August 15, are ranked by percentage growth in revenue from 2019 to 2022. To qualify for the list, a company must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. The company also must have been U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independent as of December 31, 2022. The minimum revenue required for 2019 was $100,000; the minimum for 2022 was $2 million.

In all, 482 Texas-based companies made this year’s list, and 24 of those are San Antonio-based. The report says one business was newly-founded, 13 are repeat honorees, and nearly 3,900 jobs were added thanks to these companies.

The 23 remaining San Antonio-area businesses ranking in Inc. 5000's list are:

No. 223 – Caden Lane, Boerne, 2,491 percent growth rate
No. 970 – FullStack Labs, 611 percent growth rate
No. 1,630 – Velonex Technologies, 344 percent
No. 1,879 – Techline Roofing & Solar, Canyon Lake, 299 percent growth rate
No. 2,024 – Legacy Home Services, New Braunfels, 277 percent growth rate
No. 2,133 – Guardian Premier Solutions, 263 percent growth rate
No. 2,162 – Stirista, 259 percent growth rate
No. 2,235 – The Pillars Christian Learning Centers, 248 percent growth rate
No. 2,332 – Optimized Technical Solutions, 237 percent growth rate
No. 2,543 – FactoryPure, 214 percent growth rate
No. 2,568 – D&H United Fueling Solutions, 212 percent growth rate
No. 2,621 – Tanager Logistics, 207 percent growth rate
No. 2,688 – Globalgig, 200 percent growth rate
No. 2,713 – Juern Technology, 198 percent growth rate
No. 2,894 – Braustin Homes, 182 percent growth rate
No. 3,165 – Alta Moda Salon, 163 percent growth rate
No. 3,168 – Neal & Neal Team, 162 percent growth rate
No. 3,212 – AmeriVet Veterinary Partners, 160 percent growth rate
No. 3,404 – Solar Edge Pros, 147 percent growth rate
No. 3,546 – Avid Wealth Partners, 139 percent growth rate
No. 3,805 – Decor IQ, 124 percent growth rate
No. 4,599 – The Intellekt Group, 89 percent growth rate

Here are the other Texas companies appearing in the state’s top 25:

No. 2 – CharterUp, Austin, 111,130 percent growth rate
No. 4 – Green Light Distribution, Coppell, 41,090 percent growth rate
No. 13 – Blue Hammer Roofing, Dallas, 19,510 percent growth rate
No. 14 – eTrueNorth, Mansfield, 19,130 percent growth rate
No. 15 – Specialty1 Partners, Houston, 18,747 percent growth rate
No. 19 – Publishing.com, Austin, 16,497 percent growth rate
No. 81 – Hawthorne Capital, Houston, 5,574 percent growth rate
No. 85 – Archer Review, Dallas, 5,378 percent growth rate
No. 89 – Valiant Capital, Houston, 5,223 percent growth rate
No. 90 – Norwood, Austin, 5,189 percent growth rate
No. 104 – 24HourNurse Staffing, Pittsburg, 4,520 percent growth rate
No. 110 – Advantis Medical Staffing, Dallas, 4,302 percent growth rate
No. 112 – CloudServus, Austin, 4,215 percent growth rate
No. 144 – Maveneer, Dallas, 3,630 percent growth rate
No. 145 – Ashland Greene, Dallas, 3,617 percent growth rate
No. 152 – Physical Therapy Biz, Dallas, 3,542 percent growth rate
No. 155 – Curis Functional Health, Dallas, 3,444 percent growth rate
No. 162 – Intervene K-12, Houston, 3,207 percent growth rate
No. 175 – TimelyCare, Fort Worth, 3,015 percent growth rate
No. 180 – LeasePoint Funding Group, Austin, 2,920 percent growth rate
No. 185 – TAP Innovations, Irving, 2,873 percent growth rate
No. 192 – Backd, Austin, 2,819 percent growth rate
No. 193 – CertifID, Austin, 2,807 percent growth rate
No. 205 – Mission Driven Meat & Seafood, Houston, 2,720 percent growth rate

The full list of businesses can be found on inc.com.

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San Antonio City Council votes to end horse-drawn carriage rides by 2030

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Horses will no longer pull carriages on the streets of downtown San Antonio.

Life for a horse in San Antonio is about to look a lot different. City Council has unanimously voted (with one abstention) to phase out the use of horse-drawn carriages over the next five years. That means by January 1, 2030, there will be none on the streets at all; instead, there will be electric carriages.

These plans have been in the making since 2022 — if not always at the same level of intensity — when District 2 Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and District 3 Councilmember Phyllis Viagran wrote up some concerns about the horses' wellbeing. A special session at the end of October 2024 hinted to San Antonians that the end for this practice was neigh — sorry, nigh — and the final vote was made on December 12. In addition to accepting the plan, it extended its timeframe by two years.

The initial proposal included worries about the horses' exposure to traffic and pollution, as well how their presence might exacerbate those issues for the environment at large by slowing traffic. It also raised concerns about the effects of standing or walking on hard surfaces for too long, or spending time in extreme weather.

At the December 12 meeting, San Antonians gave impassioned speeches about animal welfare — both to call attention to the need for better conditions and to defend the reputations and jobs of current horse drivers — but it wasn't the first time the council heard from the public about the issue.

In a prior city survey, 50,476 respondents weighed in. Of those respondents, 51.98 percent said they liked the idea to "Transition horse-drawn carriages to electric carriages and pedicabs and ban horse drawn carriages completely." There were alternative solutions listed, but respondents were less drawn to them.

A cultural divide emerged in the data and continued in the December meeting: some people avoided the carriages because they worried about the treatment of the horses, while others enjoyed them because of their historical echoes and living legacy. Many speakers in favor of the plan used this to form their argument, raising questions about history versus progress.

More tangible objections to the plan hinged on the businesses — specifically five companies — and jobs that would be lost, which was the main factor behind extending the adjustment period.

Discussions about the particulars of the electric vehicles are still to come, as confirmed in the discussion near the end of the meeting. Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez addressed concerns about what would happen to the horses, mentioning the Brady Hunter Foundation as a future partner in finding them rescue homes.

Some council members also brought up rhetorical questions about animal exploitation by groups like Sea World, the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, military and police forces, and even various groups in the Fiesta parade, although these did not come with a formal motion to pick the issues up.

This decision could have a ripple effect on other Texas cities. Dallas has recently considered a similar ban, but it appears to have stalled; Austin's attempts at a ban have been unsuccessful, but according to the Austin-American Statesman, only one operator is permitted to bring horses downtown. She declines to do so because the long hours are unfair to her and the horses. Houston does have horse-drawn carriages, and there seems to be little conversation about banning them.

Cities like Chicago and Salt Lake City have led the charge in the United States with some of the most prominent successful bans. Other cities around the world with bans include Brussels and Guadalajara, which both switched to electric models. Bans that have been around for years, like Guadalajara's and Prague's, still aren't out of the woods — people are still pushing back on the decision, so it sounds like San Antonio still has much work cut out for it.

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24 fast-growing San Antonio companies earn spots on coveted Inc. 5000 list

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San Antonio City Council votes to end horse-drawn carriage rides by 2030

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