Colorado Top 250 Private Companies.

• Author: SCHWAB, ROBERT
• Position: Award and business information

IT PAYS TO BE PRIVATE

WHILE COLORADO'S public companies reported a rocky year in 2000, the state's largest privately held companies posted strong sales gains last year and a generally optimistic outlook for 2001.

The ColoradoBiz Top 250 Private Companies list showed the state's largest private businesses increased sales by $1.5 billion in 2000, posting an aggregate $9. 156 billion in revenues, compared with $7.638 billion reported for 1999, a nearly 20 percent increase.

And 209 companies projected sales increases for 2001.

So despite all the talk of a national economic slowdown, Colorado commerce and industry, at least the part held privately, seems to be in relatively good shape.

"The economy in Colorado is still strong," said Jake Jabs, owner of American Furniture Warehouse, No. 5 on the list which ranks companies by 2000 revenues.

"We set an all-time record in July, $25.6 million," Jabs said last month, adding that for the year 2001 to date, American Furniture Warehouse was running 13 percent ahead of last year's sales.

As for a slowdown, Jabs says he has weathered five recessions in the past and looks back at them as opportunities. "1 love recessions," he said. "They separate the men from the boys."

Companies on the ColoradoBiz Top 250 self-report their revenues. This year's list was compiled by soliciting those reports from companies that have appeared on past year's lists and from companies that are members of a variety of the state's chambers of commerce. Privately held firms that were ranked on this year's ColoradoBiz Top 100 minority-owned businesses list, and its Top 100 woman-owned businesses list, also were merged into the Top 250 Private Companies.

This year's 250th-ranked company reported $1.3 million in 2000 revenues compared with $1.2 million reported by the 250th company on the previous year's list.

Top 250 Private Companies 2000 '99 COMPANY NAME BUSINESS DESCRIPTION RANK RANK 1 1 Hensel Phelps General Contractor Construction Co. 2 3 Burt Automotive Automobile Network Dealerships 3 New IHS Group Electronic Technical Information 4 8 MACTEC Inc. Consulting Firm 5 9 Americal Furniture Furniture Retailer Warehouse 6 11 Saunders Construction Manager Construction Inc. & General Contractor 7 12 Village Homes Developer, of Colorado Homebuilder 8 13 GE Johnson, General Contractor Construction Co. Inc. 9 10 R.A.S. Builders Inc. General Contractor 10 New Mile Shaw Chevrolet Automobile Buick Pontiac Dealerships 11 New Sage Hospitality Hotel Developer and Resources, LLC Management Company 12 16 Ralph Schomp Automobiles (Sales, Automotive Service, Parts) 13 23 Haselden Construction Construction Inc. 14 21 FCI Construction Inc. General Contractor 15 20 Interstate Highway Paving and Other Construction Inc. Construction 16 New Roche Constructors nc. General Contractor 17 18 Coach House Gifts Gift Retailer 18 31 TSN Inc. Wholesale Distribution 19 22 Alpine Lumber Co. Retail Buidling Materials 20 29 Peerless Tyre Co. Tire Retailer 21 26 Pinkard Construction Co. Construction 22 36 Alpine Banks Bank of Colorado 23 New White Wave Inc. Organic Food Manufacturing 24 24 Shaw Construction General Contractor LLC 25 43 Brannan Sand and Paving and Concrete Gravel Co. LLC Supplier 26 32 Weld County Automobile Sales, Garage Inc. Service 27 44 Corporate Travel Travel Services Services 28 45 McClain Finlon Advertising Agency Advertising Inc. 29 47 Pro Chrysler Jeep Automotive Sales, Leasing, Service and Parts 30 51 DSP Builders Inc. General Contractor 31 64 Asphalt Specialties Heavy Highway Co. Inc. Construction 32 59 Johnson Storage Moving and Storage & Moving co. Holdings LLC 33 58 Cain Travel Group Inc. Travel Agency 34 55 Cank Services Inc. Flowers by Wire 35 56 FMH Material Handling Materials Handling Solutions Inc. Products 36 74 Denver Solutions Computer Reseller Group Inc. 37 61 JHL Constructors Inc. General Contractor 38 52 Integrated Electronics Electronics Corp./CSID Distributor 39 63 Nelson Pipeline Underground Utility Constructors Inc. Contractor 40 70 Advantage National Wireless Wireless Inc. Distributor 41 65 Travel By Dana Travel Agency 42 46 Pratt Properties LP Developer 43 72 Frederick Ross Co. Commercial Real Estate 44 New Pueblo Bank & Trust Financial Institution 45 69 Travel Connections Inc. Travel Management 46 35 Native American I-Tech, Telephony Systems Inc. Systems Integrator 47 71 Hercules Industries HVAC Manufacturer/ Inc. Wholesaler 48 41 Merrick & Co. Engineering Services 49 New Packaging West Inc. Distributor Rigid Containers 50 New Burst Communications Audio, Video, Inc. Broadcast and Presentation Equipment 51 73 Excel Professional Computer Consulting Services Inc. 52 75 Lehman Communications Newspapers ad Printing Corp. 53 New Team Excel Technical Consulting 54 68 Univance Long Distance Data Telecommunications Inc. & Internet Reseller 55 81 RNL Design Architecture/Engineering 56 82 Rocky Mountain Office Furniture Desk Corp. 57 90 Polk. World travel Travel Agency 58 175 Business Acquisitions, Business Brokerage Ltd. 59 97 Facilitek Office Office Furniture Dealer Furniture Systems 60 77 A. B. Hirschfeld Commercial Printer Press Inc. 61 85 Palace Construction General Contractor Co. Inc. 62 66 Great new Homes Ltd. Construction 63 New TUSC Oracle Consulting 64 91 Peak Resources Inc. Computer Services 65 84 Nexus Corp. Manufacturing Greenhouses 66 86 Slifer Designs Inc. Resort design 67 129 Computer Sites Inc. Telecom Contractor 68 New Staum Development Developer of Affordable Corp. Housing Communities 69 New Pacific Western Information and Technlogies Project Management 70 83 E2 Consulting Consulting Engineers Engineers 71 89 Highland Management IT Staffing Inc. 72 93 Business Interiors Inc. Furniture Supplier 73 96 Chavez Sheet Metal Co. HVAC Fabricator and Installer 74 New East West Partners - Real Estate Denver Development 75 98 Shafer Commercial Furniture Seating Inc. Manufacturer 76 New Image Projections Manufacturer, West Inc. Toner Cartridges 2000 GROSS '99 GROSS 2000 '99 COMPANY NAME REVENUE REVENUE % RANK RANK (000s) (000s) CHANGE 1 1 Hensel Phelps $1,426,717 $1,265,089 12.8% Construction Co. 2 3 Burt Automotive 1,233,722 1,003,449 22.9% Network 3 New IHS Group 400,000 380,000 5.3% 4 8 MACTEC Inc. 327,276 151,419 116.1% 5 9 Americal Furniture 269,226 220,669 22.0% Warehouse 6 11 Saunders 237,000 181,000 30.9% Construction Inc. 7 12 Village Homes 235,000 180,000 30.6% of Colorado 8 13 GE Johnson, 222,374 150,047 48.2% Construction Co. Inc. 9 10 R.A.S. Builders Inc. 208,885 202,786 3.0% 10 New Mile Shaw Chevrolet 166,965 124,410 34.2% Buick Pontiac 11 New Sage Hospitality 159,195 142,427 11.8% Resources, LLC 12 16 Ralph Schomp 157,673 144,540 9.09% Automotive 13 23 Haselden 146,000 101,000 44.6% Construction Inc. 14 21 FCI Construction Inc. 138,000 113,000 22.1% 15 20 Interstate Highway 120,000 115,000 4.3% Construction Inc. 16 New Roche Constructors nc. 115,000 115,000 0.0% 17 18 Coach House Gifts 108,117 116,223 -7.0% 18 31 TSN Inc. 104,459 74,543 40.1% 19 22 Alpine Lumber Co. 104,000 111,000 -6.3% 20 29 Peerless Tyre Co. 94,700 76,400 24.0% 21 26 Pinkard Construction Co. 87,500 83,200 5.2% 22 36 Alpine Banks 84,578 66,707 26.8% of Colorado 23 New White Wave Inc. 80,500 29,600 172.0% 24 24 Shaw Construction 75,000 99,500 24.6% LLC 25 43 Brannan Sand and 70,000 60,000 16.7% Gravel Co. LLC 26 32 Weld County 66,351 71,320 -7.0% Garage Inc. 27 44 Corporate Travel 63,000 52,000 21.15% Services 28 45 McClain Finlon 61,500 52,000 18.3% Advertising Inc. 29 47 Pro Chrysler Jeep 58,468 50,169 16.5% 30 51 DSP Builders Inc. 58,000 45,600 27.19% 31 64 Asphalt Specialties 50,350 37,583 34.0% Co. Inc. 32 59 Johnson Storage 48,978 41,419 18.3% & Moving co. Holdings LLC 33 58 Cain Travel Group Inc. 48,283 41,524 16.3% 34 55 Cank Services Inc. 48,000 34,000 41.18% 35 56 FMH Material Handling 45,829 40,662 12.7% Solutions Inc. 36 74 Denver Solutions 45,000 29,000 55.2% Group Inc. 37 61 JHL Constructors Inc. 45,000 33,000 35.4% 38 52 Integrated Electronics 44,000 45,000 -2.2% Corp./CSID 39 63 Nelson Pipeline 43,386 38,136 13.8% Constructors Inc. 40 70 Advantage 43,000 28,700 49.8% Wireless Inc. 41 65 Travel By Dana 40,000 37,000 8.11% 42 46 Pratt Properties LP 38,900 40,800 -4.65% 43 72 Frederick Ross Co. 38,000 29,000 31.0% 44 New Pueblo Bank & Trust 35,861 35,447 1.2% 45 69 Travel Connections Inc. 35,700 31,200 14.4% 46 35 Native American 35,442 67,619 .48% Systems Inc. 47 71 Hercules Industries 34,899 30,151 15.7% Inc. 48 41 Merrick & Co. 34,100 4,300 693.0% 49 New Packaging West Inc. 33,000 32,800 0.61% 50 New Burst Communications 31,000 28,000 10.7% Inc. 51 73 Excel Professional 31,000 28,400 9.2% Services Inc. 52 75 Lehman Communications 31,000 28,000 10.7% Corp. 53 New Team Excel 31,000 28,400 9.15% 54 68 Univance 30,000 35,000 -14.3% Telecommunications Inc. 55 81 RNL Design 29,500 20,900 41.1% 56 82 Rocky Mountain 29,200 17,850 63.6% Desk Corp. 57 90 Polk. World travel 28,000 18,000 55.6% 58 175 Business Acquisitions, 27,000 5,700 373.68% Ltd. 59 97 Facilitek Office 26,000 16,000 62.50% Furniture Systems 60 77 A. B. Hirschfeld 25,500 25,000 2.0% Press Inc. 61 85 Palace Construction 24,000 21,000 14.3% Co. Inc. 62 66 Great new Homes Ltd. 23,500 16,000 46.9% 63 New TUSC 23,000 15,000 53.3% 64 91 Peak Resources Inc. 22,664 18,426 23.0% 65 84 Nexus Corp. 22,500 21,000 7.14% 66 86 Slifer Designs Inc. 21,500 20,500 4.88% 67 129 Computer Sites Inc. 20,859 16,556 26.0% 68 New Staum Development Corp. 18,906 5,500 243.7% 69 New Pacific Western 18,500 18,500 0.00% Technlogies 70 83 E2 Consulting 18,000 21,000 -14.3% Engineers 71 89 Highland Management 18,000 18,000 0.00% Inc. 72 93 Business Interiors Inc. 17,500 17,300 1.2% 73 96 Chavez Sheet Metal Co. 17,348 16,703 3.9% 74 New East West Partners - 17,200 0 Denver 75 98 Shafer Commercial 16,803 16,920 -0.7% Seating Inc. 76 New Image Projections 16,114 10,521 53.2% West Inc. '01 2000 '99 COMPANY NAME PROJECTED NO. OF RANK RANK GROSS EMPLOYEES...