Sanford-based company earns place as a finalist on GrowFL’s yearly list

ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 20, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — GrowFL today announced that World Housing Solution, a manufacturer of expeditionary insulated composite structures for disaster relief and the U.S. military, has earned a place on its list of 50 statewide companies expected to see significant growth over the next several years. These 50 companies were selected from more than 500 nominees for Florida Companies to WatchSM, a statewide program managed by economic development group GrowFL, in association with the Edward Lowe Foundation.  

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

“We are so proud to be among so many great companies in the state of Florida”, said Ron Ben-Zeev, founder and CEO of World Housing Solution. “At World Housing Solution, we pride ourselves on focusing on the customer’s problems, rather than pushing out solutions that we think are the best, and that has helped us grow more than we ever thought possible.” 

The 50 companies named the 2018 Florida Companies to Watch generated nearly one billion dollars in revenue and added nearly 1,000 jobs between 2014 and 2017. Together, the companies project a 50 percent increase in revenue and 40 percent increase in job growth in 2018 compared to 2017.

This is a strong group of companies that deserve this special recognition given annually to the state’s top second stage companies,” said Dr. Chris Morton, GrowFL Chairman of the GrowFL Advisory Board, CEO of NanoPhotonica and a 2015 Florida Companies to Watch honoree. 

Second-stage companies are defined as those with 6 to 150 full-time employees and between 750,000 dollars and 100 million dollars 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.

“These stand-out companies are all led by entrepreneurs, and have demonstrated their capacity and intent to grow,” said Dr. Tom O’Neal, GrowFL executive director.  “They also all have critical intellectual property or a niche position that gives them a competitive edge in their markets,” he said.

Companies named to the list will be officially recognized February 9, 2019 at the Straz Performing Arts Center in Tampa, FL.  Tickets are on sale now for the awards ceremony.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit http://www.growfl.com/flctw18/about-flctw/.

About World Housing Solution:
World Housing Solution, founded in 2010, is a design and manufacturing company based in Orlando, Florida that creates robust, deployable composite structures, using innovative technologies that allow for quick assembly of highly energy efficient, off the grid capable, structures. The company has delivered these environmentally friendly, long-lasting structures to U.S. military units stationed in overseas camps as a more versatile, cost effective and safer alternative to legacy constructions. Recently, World Housing Solution expanded its solutions by establishing a Mobile Response Unit division. The company delivered three fully integrated Clinics on Wheels to Puerto Rico to provide medical relief for those affected by Hurricane Maria. A clinic was also dispatched to Texas after Hurricane Harvey struck Houston. World Housing Solution ranks 444 on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies.

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.  GrowFL is certified by the National Center for Economic Gardening through the Edward Lowe Foundation.  

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. In addition, the foundation has a second mission of land stewardship and is committed to preserving the natural resources and historically significant structures at Big Rock Valley, its 2,000-acre home in southwest Michigan.

For more information contact:
Jaclyn Bertrand
Uproar PR for World Housing Solution
[email protected]