34 Great Dallas Entrepreneurs

Ernst & Young selected some of the region’s most innovative businesspeople to compete for the coveted title of Entrepreneur of the Year. Here’s how the dynamic local finalists built their companies—and positioned their firms for success.

Adams Golf
Oliver “Chip” Brewer
President and CEO

If your company lacks the advertising funds necessary to challenge competitors head-on, look for pockets of opportunity and expand from there, says Chip Brewer, president and CEO of Adams Golf. Brewer used this strategy—which he calls “niche-flanking”—to propel the struggling local manufacturer to a nationally recognized boutique maker of golf equipment.

“The fundamental thing we did was to attract and retain really talented individuals,” Brewer says. “They came up with the strategy of product first to position ourselves, and found niches to flank the competition and grow from there.”

By tripling research and development spending, Plano-based Adams Golf took aim at the competition’s blind spot and become the first to offer hybrid iron sets in 2002. That began a growth curve, says Brewer, who then focused marketing dollars on the cost-effective Over-50 Champions Tour. Adams has since expanded its hybrid line, gotten endorsements from noted players like Chad Campbell and Tom Watson, and this year introduced aerodynamic drivers for faster swings.

“Golf is a tough market now, because consumer discretionary income is down,” Brewer says. “We still can’t compete in the same quantity as the biggest manufacturers, so we have to be good pound for pound.” —Wendy Lyons Sunshine

The Aidmatrix Foundation
Scott McCallum 
President and CEO
“Our mission is to take state-of-the-art technology and apply it for humanitarian purposes,” says former Wisconsin governor Scott McCallum. Today he works for the common good as president and CEO of Aidmatrix, a Dallas-based organization whose supply-chain software connects disaster relief organizations and charities with donors of supplies and services.

When McCallum—he served as Wisconsin’s governor from 2001-2003—came on board in 2005, the floundering organization had 12 employees. The new CEO reduced costs, worked to expand partnerships, and saw in Hurricane Katrina the opportunity to donate Aidmatrix’s real-time services. Shortly afterward, the Federal Emergency Management Agency chose Aidmatrix software to be the backbone of the National Donations Management System.

This was a turning point for the 501(c)3, which now employs a staff of 36 and partners with NATO, Habitat for Humanity, Feeding America, medical clinics for the homeless, and others. “The FEMA program gave us credibility and recognition that technology could be immensely beneficial in disaster preparation and in immediate response,” says McCallum, who takes a creative approach to signing on cash-strapped, frugal clients. “We try to create a model that has collaboration, one that provides benefits through tax donations and cost savings.” —W.L.S.

Ambit Energy LP
Jere Thompson Jr. 
Co-founder and CEO

Ambit Energy’s breakthrough happened before any customers signed up, according to Jere Thompson Jr., co-founder and CEO of the residential power firm.

“By bringing in talented senior management early, people who had scaled fast-growing companies before,” Thompson says, “we were able to define for the IT department exactly what we needed to grow and manage the company.”

Pre-launch, the Dallas-based firm spent almost a year creating a proprietary software system and database able to support a rapidly growing company.

Ambit became profitable during its second full year of operation, and today has 230 employees and more than 50,000 independent consultants providing multi-level marketing in the deregulated energy markets of Texas, Illinois, and New York.  Thompson believes that an outstanding web site and robust IT system provide enormous leverage. “Ninety-nine percent of the data that comes through is never touched,” he says.

Customers enroll online, and Ambit’s system is so automated that it adjusts the required deposit, based on a quick credit check. Thompson says that filtering out high-risk customers pays off; Ambit’s customer base has been relatively reliable during the economic downturn.

After logging $197 million in revenue in 2008, the company is on track to generate $400 million this year. —W.L.S.

American CareSource Holdings Inc.
David Boone
President and CEO

David Boone took the helm of American CareSource Holdings in April 2007, shortly after the company went public. Faced with an enterprise that had not gained any new business in a year, the new president and CEO set out to develop a strategic vision, restore credibility, and become chief salesperson and cheerleader.

“I try to instill in the entire organization that we exist to save money on health care costs,” says Boone. “If we have energy and passion around that, we’ll be successful.”

Dallas-based ACS arranges discounted ancillary medical services for insurance providers, saving their members money on lab work, diagnostic imaging, rehabilitation services, and more. Boone discovered that regional providers were more interested in these offerings than the big national insurers, so he pursued that niche.

“Very shortly after I took over, we picked up Texas True Choice as a client,” Boone says. “I was very fortunate that I got an introduction to their CEO and we hit it off. I worked to build credibility with him, and that account turned us around.”

By year-end, ACS was profitable. The following year, sales of $58.3 million garnered the company the distinction of being NASDAQ’s top performer. ACS is now debt-free, and on track for 30 percent growth in 2009. —W.L.S.

American Fuel Distributors LP
Shanali “Shawn” Bhagat
President, Founder, and CEO

Shawn Bhagat, president, founder, and CEO of American Fuel Distributors, credits the company’s growth to hard work, excellence, and ethical pricing. “We’ve been fair and ethical to our customers, and that has rewarded us by referrals,” he says.

Dallas-based American Fuel Distributors carries all the major fuel brands, and actively helps convenience-store owners maintain an attractive selling environment. Sales staff, called “brand champions,” visit clients monthly to ensure they’re complying with guidelines from the big brands about required products and cleanliness.

Bhagat also has a strategy for underperforming or unbranded sites, such as old Citgos and Finas. “We are taking those over and branding them ‘Destiny’ to bring volume up,” says Bhagat. “Once we reach certain numbers, we will brand those to major brands.”

Having a large potential market is critical to business success, says Bhagat. “As a wholesale distributor, my customer base is unlimited.”

Since acquiring the company in 1997, he has expanded its operation from handling 5 million gallons of fuel annually to nearly 180 million gallons last year. With strategic acquisitions under way in Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Georgia, throughput should rise to 300 million gallons. —W.L.S.