Co-CEOs Kelly Smith and Stephen Barnhart; Scott Hachinski, sales manager; Pat Hayes, general manager.
NUMBER EIGHT:
BARNHART/SAFELINK SECURITY & ALARM
2nd Year
Gross Revenue:
2009: $1,476,444.37
2006: $454,316.94
Growth: 224.98%
Full-time employees: 8
In a perfect world, Kelly Smith and Stephen Barnhart would be succeeding in another line of work. But because the world
is far from perfect, business has been good for the two security-services owners, who joined forces in 2008. Each half of the present construct began in 1977, and the Safelink Security half is based in Lenexa, Kan., while Barnhart Security & Alarm—a CR100 honoree in 2000—operates on the Missouri side, out of Grandview.
Now they’ve joined forces, providing a wide range of security systems and services, for both residential and commercial customers. Among those are alarm and fire systems, digital cameras and recorders, remote access and control systems, the mobile technologies to keep you in touch with your security systems, personal protection and more. As the largest independently owned security company based in the Kansas City area, Barnhart/Safelink serves more than 20,000 customers across the Midwest.
CEO Gary Hall; Annie Ptasnik, director of sales; Bryan Porter, president.
NUMBER NINE:
ARSALON TECHNOLOGIES
5th Year
Gross Revenue:
2009: $5,763,029
2006: $1,926,015
Growth: 199.22%
Full-time employees: 20
Less than a decade old, Web-hosting specialist Arsalon Technologies is back in the CR100 with its second consecutive showing in the Top 10. This time, it boasts revenues almost precisely three times the company’s 2006 figures. It’s no secret by now what’s driving that growth: The ability to offer more Web-hosting services, and the staff to deliver them 24/7, says CEO Gary Hall.
“Technical expertise, advanced hosting solutions and state-of-the-art facilities continually attract top business organizations seeking a reliable, secure and high-performing hosting solution for their business operations needs,” Hall said. Arsalon’s offerings include co-location, dedicated server and managed services, with fully redundant infrastructures and high performance networks. Based in Overland Park, Kan., Arsalon is poised to open a new 33,000-square-foot facility, its third growth-driven expansion.
CEO Shane Jones; Tabitha Boissonneau, director of operations; Jaci Littrell, customer relations manager.
NUMBER TEN:
THE ASTRA GROUP
8th Year
Gross Revenue:
2009: $44,851,985.74
2006: $16,942,005
Growth: 164.74%
Full-time employees: 12
Whether it’s making hand-crafted chocolates, selling bicycles or working under the hood of a car, passion for what one does best has launched many a business. Then those owners find out that what they really love to do can actually amount to a small percentage of their time—the hassles of running a business stomp all over the passions that launched it.
Shane Jones tapped into that need in 1999, when he launched the Astra Group. The company, based in Mission, Kan., allows business owners to outsource all manner of issues—from human resources to employee benefits, regulatory compliance, staffing and more—so that they can focus on their true passions and make their businesses succeed. Astra’s mission is one that has resonated with business owners; they’ve responded in numbers that have driven the company into its second Top 10 finish in the CR100, and its seventh appearance overall.
