As the SC Fastest Growing Companies program celebrates 25 years, Hall of Fame honorees share the leadership decisions, workplace cultures, and willingness to adapt that have helped sustain their success.
Making South Carolina's Fastest Growing Companies list once is an accomplishment. Making it five or more times requires something more: the ability to adapt, develop employees, embrace innovation, and continue growing as the business itself becomes more complex.
As the SC Fastest Growing Companies program celebrates its 25th anniversary, its new Hall of Fame recognizes 28 companies that have earned a place on the list at least five times.
The businesses represent different industries and approaches to growth, but responses from four Hall of Fame companies — Greenville-based Global Lending Services and Air Compressor Services; Spartanburg-based Elite Home Care, Day Center and Transportation; and Charleston-based Blue Haven Pools & Spas — reveal several common threads.
Their leaders repeatedly return to the importance of people, culture, customer relationships, flexibility, and recognizing that the strategies that work for a startup may not be enough to sustain a larger organization.
Growth begins with people
For Global Lending Services CEO Steve Thibodeau, one of the company's greatest early challenges ultimately became a competitive advantage.
When the auto finance company was a relatively unknown startup, attracting experienced employees was difficult. Rather than relying entirely on outside recruitment, the company began developing much of its talent internally.
"That forced us to hire and develop most of our talent from within, which has become one of our best competitive strengths," Thibodeau said.
The company, founded in 2012, now reports approximately 1,000 employees.
At Air Compressor Services, which also was founded in 2012, the approach has been to recruit people who embrace challenges and are motivated by the opportunity to build something.
The Greenville company has been intentional about hiring employees who are driven, resilient and willing to rethink established practices in the compressed-air industry.
Its leadership also believes in giving employees meaningful responsibilities and opportunities to advance.
"When you trust someone with something that actually matters, they're exposed to bigger decisions, harder problems and opportunities they might not have had otherwise," the company said in its Hall of Fame questionnaire.
Elite Home Care, Day Centers, and Transportation echoes that philosophy.
The Spartanburg-based company, which reports approximately 1,200 employees, credits caregivers, drivers, member assistants, administrative staff, and leaders for its expansion across South Carolina.
Its leadership emphasizes developing employees from within and maintaining a workplace where people understand how their individual contributions support the company's mission.
"At the end of the day, our success comes down to people taking care of people," the company said.
At Blue Haven Pools & Spas, employee recognition and retention also have become central to the company's growth strategy.
The Charleston-based business, led by Brian and Rob Peppin, has expanded from building approximately 75 pools annually to more than 600.
Its leaders credit much of that success to employees who have grown with the company.
"We say it often and we mean it: the awards belong to the team," the company said.
Blue Haven recognizes employees through annual awards, service coins marking years of employment and other efforts to acknowledge outstanding work.
Leadership changes as companies grow
Another commonality is the recognition that successful leaders must change how they manage their organizations as they expand.
Thibodeau said his early responsibilities at Global Lending Services involved working directly on operating models, technology solutions and other details.
As the company matured, he was able to shift more of his attention to corporate strategy, business development, major projects and maintaining its culture.
Air Compressor Services experienced a similar transition.
In its early years, responsibilities often fell to whoever had the time or knowledge to handle them. Growth eventually required clearer ownership of important functions and greater specialization.
Its leaders learned to delegate responsibilities and trust employees to make decisions.
Elite Home Care, Day Centers, and Transportation faced similar challenges as it expanded into additional communities and added services.
The company found that processes suitable for a smaller organization did not always work at a larger scale. Communication, accountability, consistent operations and leadership development became increasingly important.
For Blue Haven Pools & Spas, leadership has taken on a deeper meaning as the company has grown to approximately 140 employees.
"When you get to the point of having 100-plus employees, you really start to feel the weight of that responsibility," the company said.
The lesson across the four companies is that sustained growth requires more than expanding revenue. It also demands changes in organizational structure, leadership, and accountability.
Innovation is not optional
Each company also identifies innovation as essential to maintaining its competitive position.
At Global Lending Services, early investments in technology and automation helped the company respond quickly to customer needs.
"The world now operates in seconds, not minutes," Thibodeau said.
He described innovation as a continuing process rather than a one-time accomplishment.
Air Compressor Services took a different route to a similar conclusion.
In 2012, when much of its industry still relied on telephone orders, the company developed an e-commerce platform that expanded its reach beyond traditional markets.
More recently, it developed ACS Go, an application designed to help customers manage their compressors, maintenance and purchasing.
Those investments reflect the company's willingness to challenge conventional approaches in an established industry.
For Elite Home Care, Day Centers, and Transportation, innovation has included expanding beyond home care into adult day health and transportation, creating a broader range of services for individuals and families.
Technology has also helped the company improve communication, streamline processes and connect teams across multiple locations.
Blue Haven Pools & Spas has invested in technology to improve both the customer experience and its internal operations.
Customers can view proposed pools in 3D before construction begins, while the company's showroom features three working pools that allow buyers to see different features firsthand. Behind the scenes, Blue Haven uses custom software, construction project management tools and standardized operational reporting to coordinate its locations.
Although the innovations differ, the underlying strategy is similar: identify changing customer needs and find better ways to meet them.
Growth creates operational challenges
One of the clearest lessons from the Hall of Fame companies is that expansion creates challenges that revenue growth alone cannot solve.
Blue Haven Pools & Spas has experienced those challenges firsthand as it has expanded into markets across the Carolinas and Georgia.
The company reports that pools sold increased 38 percent in 2025, from 477 to 658. But expanding sales also creates additional demands on employees, scheduling, construction operations, and customer service.
"Growing fast is hard on systems and on people," the company said.
Blue Haven identifies maintaining consistent quality and customer experience across locations as one of its greatest challenges.
Permitting delays, homeowners association approvals, and recruiting skilled technicians can complicate operations even when demand is strong.
The company's response has been to monitor the time between stages of construction and measure the performance of its sales and operational processes.
Staying flexible through uncertainty
The ability to respond to changing economic conditions is another shared characteristic.
Global Lending Services emphasizes maintaining an organization that can adjust quickly to market changes.
Thibodeau said flexibility allows the company to pursue opportunities during favorable conditions while responding appropriately when markets become more difficult.
Air Compressor Services has found opportunities during economic uncertainty as customers seek value when maintaining existing equipment.
The company believes customers may initially discover it while looking for alternatives to original equipment manufacturers, but that quality and service are what establish lasting relationships.
Elite Home Care, Day Center and Transportation's flexibility comes partly from its multiple service lines and acceptance of different funding sources.
That diversification helps the company respond to changing health care programs, community needs, and economic conditions.
Company culture becomes a competitive advantage
While culture is often discussed separately from financial performance, these Hall of Fame companies see the two as closely connected.
Global Lending Services established two core values early in its development: "Care Deeply" and "Think Boldly."
Thibodeau said those values influence decisions involving customers, employees, benefits, and new products.
Air Compressor Services similarly emphasizes hiring people who share its values and giving them the opportunity to grow.
Its leadership argues that investing in employees improves the company's ability to serve customers and business partners.
At Blue Haven Pools & Spas, employee recognition and appreciation are important parts of its culture.
The company points to long-serving employees, including a Charleston designer who has been with the business since 2009 and consistently ranked among the top Blue Haven designers nationwide.
Its leaders view retaining talented employees and recognizing their contributions as essential to maintaining customer relationships and supporting expansion.
Across the Hall of Fame companies, workplace culture is not simply an employee benefit. It is part of the strategy that allows the business to keep growing.
South Carolina provides a foundation
The four companies also point to South Carolina as an important part of their success.
Global Lending Services credits Greenville's labor market, higher education institutions, and downtown development with helping attract employees from across the country.
Air Compressor Services benefits from proximity to the state's manufacturing community and access to professionals with experience in sophisticated industrial organizations.
Its e-commerce capabilities have allowed the company to serve customers internationally while remaining headquartered in Greenville.
Elite Home Care, Day Centers, and Transportation's South Carolina roots have helped it develop relationships with health care providers, community organizations, and families throughout the state.
For Blue Haven Pools & Spas, South Carolina's population growth and demand for outdoor living have created opportunities to expand. The company has grown beyond its Charleston headquarters into markets around the state, while also expanding into Charlotte, Raleigh, and Atlanta.
Its leadership credits South Carolina customers and the company's Charleston foundation with helping it develop the workforce and operational systems needed to enter additional markets.
Looking beyond revenue
Perhaps the most revealing similarity is how these companies describe the legacy they hope to leave. Their ambitions extend beyond higher revenue or recognition on business rankings.
Global Lending Services established a volunteer time off program that provides employees with four paid hours annually to volunteer for local charities. The company reported more than 2,500 employee volunteer hours last year.
Air Compressor Services operates ACS Lift, which provides temporary work opportunities for people between jobs, along with ACS Cares, which supports community organizations through financial contributions and employee involvement.
Elite Home Care, Day Centers, and Transportation emphasizes creating meaningful employment, developing leaders and helping individuals remain independent and connected to their communities.
Blue Haven Pools & Spas participated in 10 community outreach efforts in 2025, including sponsorship of high school athletics programs and support for the Isle of Palms Polar Plunge, which benefits Special Olympics athletes in South Carolina.
Each company sees continued growth as a way to create more opportunities for employees and contribute to the communities where it operates.
Air Compressor Services also has substantial expansion plans. The company expects to break ground on a new 70,000-square-foot Greenville headquarters within the next year and anticipates hiring approximately 50 additional employees over five years.
But its leadership says becoming a larger company is not the ultimate objective.
"For us, the opportunity over the next five years isn't simply to become a bigger company. It's to become a more capable company and use that growth to create more opportunities for our employees, our customers and our community."
As South Carolina celebrates 25 years of recognizing its fastest-growing companies, the experiences of these four Hall of Fame honorees suggest that sustained success depends on more than the ability to generate revenue.
It requires leaders willing to evolve, employees empowered to succeed, strong customer relationships and organizations prepared to adapt when markets and expectations change. For these companies, the greatest measure of growth may ultimately be not how large they become, but the opportunities they create along the way.
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