The 30 largest women-owned businesses in Orange County collectively saw increases in revenue and jobs last year.
Sales grew 4% to $1.78 billion in 2011, according to this week’s Business Journal list. Last year’s 2% gain among the listed companies followed a smaller increase a year earlier and declines in 2008 and 2009.
The list of companies covers a mixed bag of industries ranging from advertising agencies to staffing firms and construction companies.
More than half of the companies on the list saw better business last year, with 17 posting sales increases. Four companies had weaker sales, while four others reported no changes. Results for five companies were based on Business Journal estimates.
Hiring
Local employment among the top women-owned firms in-creased nearly 5% during 12 months through June for a total of 3,530 employees. The companies also combined for a 5% increase in companywide employees.
Fifteen companies added workers here, while four cut jobs. Eight companies said they haven’t made any changes in their OC offices, and three figures were based on Business Journal estimates.
Irvine-based In-N-Out Burgers Inc. topped the list again, with an estimated total of $490 million in sales last year. The burger chain—owned by Lynsi Martinez, granddaughter of the company’s late found-ers—opened a number of restaurants in Texas during the past year, a significant expansion after previously sticking to California and neighboring states.
The company also opened pop-up restaurants for one day in Tokyo and Seoul as part of its Asia promotion tour. Plans to expand into those markets are unclear, but pop-up events provide insight into prospective markets for future considerations, according to the company.
Big Dealers
No. 2 Mercedes-Benz of La-guna Niguel had a 22% growth in sales to $231.9 million. The gain of almost $42 million was the largest dollar-value increase on the list. The car dealer has 225 employees here, unchanged from a year earlier.
Auto dealer Villa Ford Inc. in Orange marked a 6% sales increase to $79.6 million in climbing four spots to No. 4. The company also hired 35 employees for a total of 113.
No. 19 PTS Staffing Solutions in Irvine was among the largest gainers on this year’s list, with a 55% increase to $25.5 million boosting the company 13 spots in ranking. Last year’s growth reversed a weak performance from a year earlier, when the firm saw sales slip 35%.
“We’re definitely coming out of the recession, and the staffing industry is an indicator of what’s ahead,” said Ronald Stein, vice president of business development.
His wife, June, is the owner of the family-run business.
“We specialize in technical engineering design and information technology, with a heavy concentration on energy,” Stein said. “The last couple of years, although many projects showed a return, there was no money to fund them, so people kept deferring them. But now, the projects they’ve been wanting to do, they’re doing them. There’s definitely a huge demand.”
Staffing Up
PTS Staffing has 16 employees here, up from 12 last June. The firm added 100 people companywide for a total of 300 and remains bullish on expanding its work force.
“We could hire another 100 or more people today,” Stein said.
Irvine-based environmental planning consultant BonTerra Consulting was ranked No. 25, up 15 spots from a year earlier thanks to a 41% sales increase to $15.5 million. BonTerra debuted on the Business Journal list last year, also with a 41% sales jump from the year earlier.
Chief Executive Joan Kelly said company growth has been fueled by “providing staff with technical resources and management support [and placing] strategic emphasis on maintaining client relationships that have long-term potential.”
The firm has eight senior principles, each with more than 20 years of environmental experience. It has 37 Irvine employees after cutting four jobs.
Its office in Pasadena has 19 employees.
Westminster-based Carrillo Business Technologies Inc. moved up two spots to No. 9, despite an 11% drop in sales to $58.1 million. It had marked the biggest revenue increase by percentage on last year’s list.
Four newcomers were added to this year’s list of women-owned businesses.
Irvine-based electronic components distributor NexGen Digital Inc. came in at No. 27 with $11 million in sales. It has 23 employees in OC, down by two from last year.
No. 28 Global Language Solutions in Irvine had $9.5 million in sales, a slight drop from a year earlier. The translation and interpretation services company has hired three more employees since last June for a total of 31.
Huntington Beach-based MSH Construc-tion Co. was No. 29, marking a 30% increase in sales to $8.6 million. It has nine workers here, unchanged from a year ago.
Information Management Resources Inc. in Aliso Viejo was No. 30 on the list. The cyber-security and engineering services company had the largest revenue increase by percentage—a 68% gain for a total of $7.7 million.
It boosted its OC work force to 15 from 12, while upping companywide employment by 50% to 72.
Download the 2012 OC’s LARGEST WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES list (pdf)
