Champions. Contenders. Down For the Count. These categories best characterize the companies that constitute the BE 100s-the nation’s largest black-owned businesses. One common trait they all share is a fighting spirit.
These enterprises-from the top-ranked black industrial/ service companies to the leading African American financial services firms-all fought for revenue growth, market share, and improved profitability in a rough-and-tumble business arena. They’ve had to protect their companies against the shocks of war, escalating oil prices, rising interest rates, no-holds-barred competition, and life-altering natural disasters. Of these, Hurricane Katrina presented the greatest difficulty. Most companies met the challenge by fine-tuning their business models through acquisitions and divestitures, strategic partnerships, development of new lines of commerce, and recruitment of A-list management talent.
Despite the poor performance of the domestic automotive industry, which hurt legions of black auto dealers and suppliers, sales for the BE INDUSTRIAL/SERVICE 100 and BE AUTO DEALER 100 indicated a significant increase. These
BE 100S companies produced a 13% increase in combined revenues, up from $23.2 billion in 2004 to $26.3 billion in 2005. In fact, the sales growth leader was Troy, Michigan-based automotive supplier TAG Holdings L.L.C. (No. 14 on the BE INDUSTRIAL/SERVICE 100 list), which showed a 230% boost in sales, from $103 million in 2004 to $340 million in 2005. Between the two lists, 27 companies grossed more than $200 million in revenues and, for the first time in black business history, three posted more than $1 billion in revenues: World Wide Technology and CAMAC International-the list leaders on the BE INDUSTRIAL/SERVICE 100-and Prestige Automotive-No. 1 on the BE AUTO DEALER 100 list. “We showed growth across all of our sectors,” says David Steward, CEO of WWT, which produced revenues of $1.85 billion. “Next year, we will exceed $2 billion in revenues, and I’m not just being bullish.” If Steward’s claim holds true, WWT will be the second black-owned business in history to break the $2 billion barrier. The first was TLC Beatrice International Holdings exactly a decade ago.In addition, as a group, our industrial/service companies and auto dealers slightly expanded their employee ranks. They increased their workforce by a mere 3%, from 82,390 in 2004 to 85,388 in 2005. The industrial/service employment leader, Fairfield, California-based MV Transportation (No. 11 on the BE INDUSTRIAL/SERVICE 100 list with gross sales of $373.5 million), employs more than 9,000 workers.
Conversely, there were a number of battered and bruised companies. Auto manufacturers shut down a record number of black auto dealers. Several ad agencies lost vital accounts and had difficulty maintaining cash flow and profits. (This year, BE did not name an advertising agency of the year because of the state of the industry and the forecasted industry shake-up.)
And, for the first time in history, BE could not rank black insurers. Competitive
pressures from large insurers, exacerbated by a weakening customer base, have decimated the ranks of black insurers from 10 to four within the past decade. The banks on our list had to augment marketing and operations budgets to compete with majority-owned leviathans, and many black investment banks ventured into asset management and private equity as a means of generating new sources of fee income.Despite tough competition and an unpredictable economy, the BE 100S remains resilient. In boxing, as in business, the only way to remain a champion is to train relentlessly, re-examine your fighting strategy, and never give up. On the following pages, you will find examples of companies that embrace this philosophy.
Industrial/Service Eligibility
A company must be at least 51% black-owned and have been fully operational for the previous calendar year (Jan. 1, 2005 through Dec. 31, 2005). Companies listed must manufacture or own the products they sell or provide industrial or consumer services. (Brokerages, real estate firms, and firms that provide professional services, such as accounting firms and law offices, are not eligible.)
TOP 10 SALES GROWTH LEADERS
| Company | Location | 2005 Sales* | 2004 Sales* | % Increase |
| TAG Holdings L.L.C. | Troy, MI | $340.000 | $103.000 | 230.10 |
| The Peebles Corp. | Coral Gables, FL | 449.658 | 202.925 | 121.59 |
| Capsonic | Elgin, IL | 68.000 | 37.000 | 83.78 |
| RLJ Development L.L.C. | Bethesda, MD | 168.100 | 92.200 | 82.32 |
| CAMAC International Corp. | Houston, TX | 1,490.000 | 987.000 | 50.96 |
| Q3 Industries Inc. | Columbus, OH | 70.000 | 47.000 | 48.94 |
| On-Target Supplies & Logistics Ltd. | Dallas, TX | 37.000 | 24.991 | 48.05 |
| Eagle Group International Inc. | Atlanta, GA | 141.000 | 98.000 | 43.88 |
| Beauchamp Distributing Co. | Compton, CA | 83.400 | 59.700 | 39.70 |
| Barden Cos. Inc. | Detroit, MI | 519.000 | 372.000 | 39.52 |
*IN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. AS OF DEC. 31. PREPARED BY B.E. RESEARCH.
REVIEWED BY THE CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM EDWARDS & CO.
TOP 10 EMPLOYMENT LEADERS
| Company | Location | Employees | Sales* | Employee To Sales Ratio |
| MV Transportation Inc. | Fairfield, CA | 9,163 | $373.486 | 1:41 |
| Manna Inc. | Louisville, KY | 6,250 | 203.200 | 1:33 |
| Barden Cos. Inc. | Detroit, MI | 4,100 | 519.000 | 1:127 |
| V and J Holding Cos. Inc. | Milwaukee, WI | 3,500 | 90.000 | 1:26 |
| The Bartech Group Inc. | Livonia, MI | 3,258 | 198.000 | 1:61 |
| Thompson Hospitality | Herndon, VA | ALIGN=”MIDDLE”>2,800 | 188.000 | 1:67 |
| The Gourmet Cos. | Atlanta, GA | 2,000 | 170.000 | 1:85 |
| H.J. Russell & Co. | Atlanta, GA | 1,871 | 316.944 | 1:169 |
| Radio One Inc. | Lanham, MD | 1,830 | 371.134 | 1:203 |
| RS Information Systems Inc. | McLean, VA | 1,800 | 360.000 | 1:200 |
*IN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. AS OF DEC. 31. PREPARED BY B.E. RESEARCH.
REVIEWED BY THE CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM EDWARDS & CO.
INDUSTRIAL/SERVICE SUMMARY
| Â |
2005 |
2004 |
% Change |
| Total Staff | 73,181 | 70,569 | 3.70 |
| Total Sales* | $17,245.398 | $14,292.871 | 20.66 |
*IN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. AS OF DEC. 31. PREPARED BY B.E. RESEARCH.
Â
FINANCIAL SERVICES FIRMS
FINANCIAL SERVICES SUMMARIES
Top 25 Banks
| Â |
2005 |
2004 |
% Change |
| Number of Employees | 1,851 | 2,015 | -8.14 |
| Assets* | $5,332.981 | $5,076.958 | 5.04 |
| Capital* | $438.570 | $427.021 | 2.70 |
| Deposits* | $4,307.745 | $4,098.706 | 5.10 |
| Loans* | $3,629.152 | $3,449.778 | 5.20 |
Top 10 Private Equity Firms
| Â |
2005 |
2004 |
% Change |
| Number of Employees | 98 | 90 | 8.89 |
| Capital Under Management* | $3,976 | $3,134 | 26.87 |
| Number of Funds | 49 | 29 | 68.97 |
| Total No. of Portfolio Companies | 250 | 272 | -8.09 |
Top 15 Asset Management Firms
| Â |
2005 |
2004 |
% Change |
| Number of Employees | 382 | 371 | 2.96 |
| Assets Under Management* | $77,455 | $73,331 | 5.62 |
Top 10 Investment Banks
| Â |
2005 |
2004 |
% Change |
| Number of Employees | 381 | 398 | -4.27 |
| Total Issues†| 489.483 | 547.273 | -10.56 |
*IN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. AS OF DEC. 31. †IN BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO THE NEAREST MILLION. AS OF DEC. 31. REVIEWED BY THE CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM EDWARDS & CO. PREPARED BY B.E. RESEARCH.