Maven Wave Earns a Top-25% Spot on Consulting’s Fastest Growing Firms List

Maven Wave has been named 12th on ALM’s Consulting magazine’s annual ranking of the industry’s Fastest Growing Firms. Of the 52 firms listed based on revenue growth, Maven Wave landed in the top 25% of the ranking. The company’s placement marks the fifth consecutive year it has been included on this list, underscoring consistent, sustained growth in the competitive enterprise consulting market.

Maven Wave was set to be featured in the November issue of Consulting magazine, available from November 8, 2019.

Revenue Growth of 287% Outpaces Industry Average

Maven Wave’s revenue grew 287% during the evaluation period assessed by Consulting magazine. All recognized firms on the list averaged a 233% growth rate over the same period, meaning Maven Wave’s growth rate exceeded the peer group average by more than 50 percentage points.

The company attributed its growth to three primary drivers:

• Enterprise digital transformation demand: Major digital transformation and IT modernization initiatives launched by large corporations created significant consulting opportunities.
• Google Cloud partnership strength: Maven Wave’s close alignment with Google Cloud, including recognition as Google North American Services Partner of the Year for the second consecutive year, expanded its ability to win and deliver large-scale cloud engagements.
• Cloud-based analytics and machine learning: Strategic application of predictive analytics and machine learning in the cloud helped clients drive operational efficiencies and differentiate their offerings.

Leadership Perspective on the Recognition

Phil Jennings, Partner, Management Consulting at Maven Wave, commented on the ranking:

“We are honored to be ranked amongst the top 25% of the fastest growing consulting companies by Consulting magazine. We are proud that our success is predicated on helping enterprise companies embrace emerging technologies in the cloud, such as machine learning and predictive analytics.”

— Phil Jennings, Partner, Management Consulting, Maven Wave

Additional Recognition: Best Medium Places to Work 2019

Alongside its revenue growth recognition, Maven Wave was also named one of the 2019 Best Medium Places to Work by Great Place to Work® and FORTUNE magazine. Jennings noted that the company’s culture centers on identifying employees with an “X-factor” and fostering creativity and diversity as deliberate talent strategies — qualities he tied directly to the firm’s ability to deliver for clients.

About Maven Wave

Maven Wave is a consulting and technology firm that helps enterprises accelerate digital transformation. Combining the discipline of top-tier management consulting with the agility of a technology-native firm, Maven Wave delivers digital solutions built on Google Cloud. As a Google Cloud Premier Partner, its work spans cloud migration, analytics, machine learning, and mobile — focused on creating measurable, lasting competitive advantages for clients.

About Consulting Magazine

Consulting® magazine is ALM’s flagship publication for the consulting profession. It covers consulting careers, thought leadership, and corporate strategy, and hosts the Achievement Awards series — including recognition for Women Leaders in Consulting, the Top 25 Consultants, Rising Stars of the Profession, Best Firms to Work For, and Global Leaders in Consulting.

Urban Meyer’s Legacy: Wins, and a Troubled Roster History

Urban Meyer’s record as a college football coach is difficult to dispute. He built undefeated seasons and national championship teams at Utah, Florida, and Ohio State, establishing himself as one of the most successful coaches in the modern era of the sport.

However, by mid-2019, Meyer had stepped away from coaching—citing health reasons—and was preparing to work as a college football analyst at Fox Sports. His departure from the sidelines brought renewed scrutiny to the conduct record of players from his programs.

Most significantly, former Florida defensive back Tony Joiner—a team captain during the Gators’ 2006 national championship season—was charged with murdering his wife. The case drew immediate comparisons to Aaron Hernandez, another former Meyer player at Florida who was convicted of murder and later died by suicide while incarcerated.

Reports at the time indicated that approximately 31 players were arrested during Meyer’s tenure at Florida, with additional arrests—many for lesser offenses—recorded during his time at Utah and Ohio State. These figures prompted ongoing debate about player recruitment standards and coaching accountability in high-profile college football programs.

Horse Racing’s Safety Crisis: Santa Anita and Suffolk Downs

The 2019 Santa Anita Park meet in California became one of the most controversial in horse racing history. By June 2019, 31 horses had died during the meet—a figure that alarmed the public, animal welfare advocates, and sports officials alike.

The Los Angeles Times publicly called for the meet to be shut down before its scheduled conclusion. The controversy was compounded by the fact that the Breeders’ Cup races were scheduled to be held at Santa Anita that fall, raising serious questions about whether the sport could address its safety problems in time.

Meanwhile, Suffolk Downs—a historic track in East Boston with more than 80 years of history—announced that it would hold its final live racing days on June 28 and 29, 2019, after which it would operate as a simulcast-only venue. The closure served as another data point for those arguing that horse racing as a live spectator sport was in long-term decline in the United States.

Terry Bowden Returns—as an Unpaid Intern at Clemson

Terry Bowden, son of Hall of Fame coach Bobby Bowden, had a long head-coaching career of his own that included stints at Auburn and Akron. After being let go from Akron following the 2018 season, Bowden made an unconventional return to football: joining Dabo Swinney’s staff at Clemson as an unpaid intern at the age of 63.

Bowden simultaneously enrolled in a graduate program in athletic leadership at Clemson—an unusual but arguably admirable demonstration that professional development in sports has no strict age ceiling.

UTEP QB Kai Locksley Suspended Following Arrest

Kai Locksley, who was the starting quarterback at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and the son of Maryland head coach Mike Locksley, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, marijuana possession, and unlawfully carrying a weapon. Following the arrest, Locksley was suspended from the team pending further investigation and lost his starting position.

Texas A&M Player Arrested After Dispute Over Tacos

In what may be the most unusual entry in any sports incident log, Texas A&M defensive back Derrick Tucker was arrested and charged with assault following a physical dispute with another individual. The cause of the altercation, according to reports: a disagreement over tacos.

Tucker’s case served as the kind of story that columnists and sports commentators reach for when making the point that off-field incidents in college athletics span the full spectrum—from the tragic to the genuinely inexplicable.

Source: collegesportsmaven.io (June 2019). Original reporting attributed to TMG sports commentary. This article summarizes incidents as reported at that time; legal outcomes for individuals mentioned may have changed since publication.

A Billionaire Built Over Six Decades in Biotech

Long before “biotech” became a venture-capital buzzword, Alice Schwartz was already building what would become one of the life sciences industry’s most enduring companies. A co-founder of Bio-Rad Laboratories, Schwartz was 92 years old at the time of writing and ranked number 20 on Forbes’ list of America’s richest self-made women, with an estimated net worth of $1.3 billion. That made her the oldest self-made female billionaire in the United States.

According to Forbes, Schwartz sat on Bio-Rad’s board of directors and remained the company’s largest individual shareholder. Her son Norman serves as chairman and chief executive. Her husband and company co-founder, David Schwartz, died in 2012.

Founded “By Accident” at a Bridge Game in Berkeley

Bio-Rad Laboratories traces its origins to an unlikely setting: a 1952 game of bridge in Berkeley, California. According to a 2007 interview David Schwartz gave to the California Life Sciences Association, he and Alice — both UC Berkeley graduates — were joking with friends about scientific products that hadn’t yet been brought to market when someone mentioned the tobacco mosaic virus.

“I said, ‘gee, that’s an interesting idea,'” David Schwartz recalled. Preparing tobacco mosaic virus for research use was a laborious process at the time, and, as Bio-Rad’s own website has noted, “providing it in a ready-to-use format would save scientists valuable time and effort.” The product itself was not a commercial success, but it catalysed the founding of a company the same year.

From a Single Virus Preparation to 10,000+ Products

What began as a niche reagent business grew steadily into a global life-sciences supplier. Today Bio-Rad manufactures and distributes more than 10,000 products used by research biologists and clinical laboratories worldwide, ranging from pipets and chromatography resins to diagnostic testing systems and digital biology platforms.

The company went public in 1966, initially selling 40,000 shares at $3.50 each, according to Bio-Rad’s corporate history. By the time this article was originally published in 2019, the company had approximately 25 million shares outstanding and a market capitalisation of roughly $8.5 billion. Share prices and market capitalisation will have changed since then.

Alice Schwartz: The Chemistry Maven and Financial Steward

Despite her central role in the company’s success, Alice Schwartz is notably private. Efforts to reach her through Bio-Rad have reportedly been unsuccessful, and she does not appear to give media interviews. What is known comes largely from third-party accounts and her late husband’s recollections.

A 2002 SFGate article described her as “the chemistry maven of Bio-Rad’s early years,” reflecting a hands-on scientific role in the company’s formative period. She later transitioned into managing the company’s finances. In his California Life Sciences Association interview, David Schwartz described Alice as “very knowledgeable, very good with the numbers and very, very bright.”

Forbes’ Self-Made Score and Long-Standing Recognition

Forbes assigned Schwartz a self-made score of 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. The publication defines a score of 8 as representing someone who came from a middle- or upper-middle-class background — a category it places alongside figures like Mark Zuckerberg. A score of 1 indicates an entirely inherited fortune, while a score of 10 represents someone who not only grew up poor but also overcame significant hardship.

According to an archived version of the Forbes website, Schwartz has appeared on the richest self-made women list since it launched in 2015, making her a consistent presence on the ranking across multiple years.

Key Takeaways

• Founded: Bio-Rad Laboratories, 1952, Berkeley, California
• Co-founders: Alice Schwartz and David Schwartz (died 2012)
• Origin story: A casual conversation during a bridge game about unmet needs in scientific research
• IPO: 1966, at $3.50 per share
• Product range: 10,000+ life science and clinical diagnostic products
• Alice’s roles: Early chemistry lead; later financial management; current board member and largest shareholder
• Forbes ranking (2019): #20 on America’s richest self-made women; estimated net worth $1.3 billion

Financial figures and rankings cited in this article reflect data available at the time of the original publication in June 2019. Current figures will differ.