Vista Photonics Inc. Named to the
Bulldog 100: Fastest Growing Bulldog Businesses
Class of 2012
Writer: Stan Jackson, 706-542-8157, ugastan@uga.edu
Contact: Meredith Carr, 404-814-8820, mcarr@uga.edu
January 24, 2012
Vista Photonics, helmed by 1995 PhD
Chemistry UGA graduate Dr. Jeffrey S. Pilgrim and 1992 BS Family and Consumer Sciences UGA graduate Melissa M. Pilgrim, ranks as this
year’s 46th fastest growing Bulldog business. The firm specializes in designing and building optic trace gas detection sensors
for NASA, DOE, USDA, and other government agencies.
The Atlanta CPA firm, Gifford Hillegass and Ingwersen, LLP has annually partnered
with the UGA Alumni Association since the inception of the program three years ago to verify the information that was submitted by
each nominated company. GH&I then ranked the companies based on compounded annual growth rate.
Nominations were collected
between January and June 2011. To be considered for the program, an organization must have been in business for at least five
years, had revenues of $100,000 or more for the calendar year 2008, and be owned or operated by a former UGA student who owns at least
50% of company or be the CEO, President or Managing Partner. The program recognizes the fastest-growing businesses regardless of size
by focusing on a three-year growth rate average.
Nearly 800 nominations were submitted for this year’s program. The class of
2012 includes companies ranging in all sizes and services, from athletics equipment producers to web design and internet marketing
firms. Several different areas of the country are represented, including companies from Connecticut, Nebraska, and New Mexico.
UGA
alumni and friends celebrated the 2012 Bulldog 100 honorees at a special event held at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis on January
21, 2012. The evening began with a reception, followed by dinner and the awards ceremony. Keynote speaker, Deborah Norville,
anchor of “Inside Edition” and 1979 UGA graduate, led attendees to the highlight of the evening—the release of the final rankings
and countdown of the 2012 Bulldog 100.
“The UGA Alumni Association is thrilled to honor our graduates who demonstrate
an entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to excellence that bring honor to their alma mater,” said Deborah Dietzler, executive director
of the UGA Alumni Association. “We are proud of the accomplishments of these alumni, whose achievements during the Great Recession
are noteworthy indeed.”
Nominations for the 2013 Bulldog program will open January 30. The full listing and rankings of the 2012 honorees and photos of the celebration can be found at www.alumni.uga.edu/b100.