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IDEAL ALUMINUM PRODUCTS WINS GROWFL’S “COMPANIES TO WATCH” AWARD

September 2, 2015


St. Augustine, Florida. — GrowFL announced today that Ideal Aluminum Products, headquartered in St. Augustine, is a winner of its Florida “Companies to Watch” award for 2015, a statewide program managed by economic development group GrowFL, in association with the Edward Lowe Foundation. The award recognizes businesses that demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in areas such as innovation and growth. Ideal is among 50 statewide companies that have been recognized. This recognition was the result of intense competition and an extensive diligence process, which started with greater than 500 nominees.


Ideal’s leadership, management team, competitive market position and strong community involvement were among several additional factors that put them in contention for the award. 


“These stand-out companies are all led by entrepreneurs, and have demonstrated their capacity and intent to grow,” said Dr. Tom O’Neal, executive director of the Florida Economic Gardening Institute and associate vice president for the University of Central Florida’s Office of Research and Commercialization. “They also all have critical intellectual property or a niche position that gives them a competitive edge in their markets,” he said. 


“This is a high honor for all of us at Ideal Aluminum, and it is public recognition for what we are trying to accomplish. We strive every day to build a great company,” said Doug Brady, co-owner. Michael Siegel, Brady’s business partner added, “We have one major value that we live by -- we want to be vital to everyone we touch. We want to be an employer of destination. We want to be our customers’ best vendor, and we want to be our vendors’ best customer.” 


“This is a strong group of companies that deserve this special recognition given annually to the state's top second stage companies,” said Dr. O’Neal. Second-stage companies are defined as those with six to 99 full-time employees and between $750,000 and $50 million in annual revenue. There are many programs and incubators promoting start-up businesses; GrowFL is the only Florida program that focuses exclusively on second-stage companies.   


The 50 companies named the 2015 Florida Companies to Watch generated a total of more than $1.2 billion in revenue and added nearly 1,000 employees between 2011 and 2014. Together, the companies project a 23 percent increase in revenue and 19 percent increase in job growth in 2015. 


For a full list of those joining Ideal Aluminum on the Florida Companies to Watch, please visit www.growfl.com. 


Companies named to the list will be officially recognized November 5 at the Hard Rock Live, Universal CityWalk, Orlando. 


About Ideal Aluminum Products 


Ideal Aluminum Products manufactures aluminum fence, gates and railing. Ideal is passionately committed to supplying the best quality products, at reasonable prices, with the best service in our industry. Ideal constantly exploring new trends and ideas that define the future of our industry. All products are made in the U.S.A. Visit the company’s website at www.ideal-ap.com or contact the company directly at 1-877-323-6496. 


More About GrowFL 


GrowFL provides strategies, resources and support, including strategic research and peer-to-peer CEO mentoring and leadership development, to second-stage Florida companies. Created by the Florida legislature in 2009 and grounded in the philosophy of Economic Gardening® — growing existing businesses in a community, region or state — GrowFL is a critical component of the state’s economic development strategy and Florida’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. 


About the Edward Lowe Foundation 


Established in 1985, the Edward Lowe Foundation is a national, nonprofit organization that supports entrepreneurship through research, recognition and educational programs, which are delivered through entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs). The foundation focuses on second-stage companies — those that have moved beyond the startup phase and seek significant, steady growth.