The University of South Florida (USF) Alumni Association has recognized MADE as one of the 2021 USF Fast 56—the fastest growing USF alumni-owned or -led businesses in the world.
MADE, led by USF Alum Michelle Ledford, is a branding and marketing agency founded in Lakeland, Florida with business partner Allen Reed. MADE was one of 56 USF Bull-owned or -led businesses inducted into the 2021 USF Fast 56 at a celebration held Friday, Sept. 10, at USF’s Tampa campus.
“It’s a tremendous honor to have our company recognized by my alma mater, the University of South Florida,” said Michelle Ledford, a 1995 graduate of USF. “Since our start in 2017, we have been focused on steady and substantial growth in both our services and our client base. While we are very proud to provide our branding, marketing and digital services to many clients right here in Florida, we have expanded our client base in the Southeast United States and other parts of the country.”
To be considered for the USF Fast 56 program, an organization must have been in business for at least three years, have revenues of $250,000 or more for the most recent 12-month period, and be owned or led by a USF graduate or former student.
The 2021 USF Fast 56 companies were ranked by percentage of cumulative annual growth in revenue, as documented by Cherry Bekaert, a public accounting firm based in Tampa. Fifty-six USF alumni-owned or -led businesses were selected as recipients, in recognition of the year USF was founded, 1956. The University of South Florida has been named the fastest-rising university in the country, according to US News & World Report’s newest rankings
See the full list of all 56 of the 2021 USF Fast 56 Award recipients. Or, check out more about the MADE team and the work we do to help businesses—maybe like yours!