Apex Environmental & Engineering

Initially, a larger local company provided Apex with financial backing and marketing resources. However, within six months, the relationship collapsed and Apex was left without a major source of capital. They used their personal savings and credit cards to keep the company afloat. The company reported only $75,000 in gross revenue for its inaugural year.

In 1998, the SBA referred Apex to the SBDC at UCF in Orlando for a ‘management audit’ after being approved under the SBA’s 8(a) program. It included a seven-area operations assessment, an in-depth financial analysis, a comparison of Apex with its competitors and an examination of the methods being used to manage the company’s financial resources. After this comprehensive analysis and suggestions, Apex concentrated on innovative ways to create a niche.

Apex continued to receive one-on-one counseling from the SBDC and twice participated as a case study for graduate students at UCF’s Small Business Institute. Through the program, Apex gained a marketing plan and a human resources handbook.

In 2000, Apex’s third partner joined and they convinced two larger firms to allow Apex to provide specialty tasks and general project management enabling Apex to build name recognition. Today, Apex’s clients include the City of Orlando, Orange County, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Air Force.

In 2005, they participated in the SBDC’s Advisory Board Council (ABC) program, a board comprised of volunteer professionals. Graduating in 2006, Vargas said, “[The] board opened the sides of the box allowing us to see what was in front of us. It gave us a lot of ideas and a lot of doors to walk through. It helped us move up a couple of notches.

” Vargas now mentors minority small businesses providing them with leadership and guidance and connecting them with the same resources he utilized.

Vargas believes in giving back to the community by providing pro-bono work to groups that otherwise can not afford engineering. Vargas commits personal financial resources and volunteers with charities, including the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association and American Red Cross.

Named one of the fastest-growing privately held businesses in America by Inc. magazine and currently ranked No. 36 in Hispanic Business “100 Fastest Growing Companies”, Apex is celebrating its 10th Anniversary. The company employs over 30 professionals, operates in Orlando with two other offices in Merritt Island and Tampa, and reports $5.2 million in gross revenue. There is little wonder why Vargas was named Florida’s SBA’s 2007 Small Business Person of the Year.

Vargas continues to receive information on new SBDC programs and events and says that the “SBDC is an encouraging force for my business. The people who work at the SBDC have a heart to serve small businesses.”