Healthy revenue

Dallas-area business aces the test as 4th fastest-growing U.S. company, Inc. says

ETrueNorth was one of the largest providers of COVID-19 testing.

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As one of the country’s largest providers of COVID-19 testing, Mansfield-based eTrueNorth has witnessed a whirlwind of activity since the 2020 onset of the pandemic. That whirlwind has contributed to explosive growth for the business.

Founded in 2013, eTrueNorth ranks fourth on Inc. magazine’s new list of the country’s 5,000 fastest-growing private companies. From 2018 to 2021, eTrueNorth saw explosive growth in revenue, posting a 42,428 percent growth rate. Aside from being fourth in revenue growth among U.S. private companies, eTrueNorth ranks first among Texas companies on the list and second among health care companies on the list.

The company specializes in providing point-of-care testing at pharmacies across the U.S.

“Our hard work to make health care more accessible is paying off for the American people. Patients value the convenience, while health plans appreciate the novel opportunity for addressing gaps in care,” Coral May, co-founder and CEO of eTrueNorth, says in a news release about the Inc. 5000 recognition.

In all, 468 Texas-based companies made this year’s Inc. 5000, including 188 in Dallas-Fort Worth. Other DFW businesses in Texas’ top 20 are:

No. 13 StaffDNA, Plano, 19,699 percent growth rate
No. 17 Blue Hammer Roofing, Dallas, 15,911 percent growth rate
No. 116 TimelyMD, Fort Worth, 3,852 percent growth rate
No. 142 Curis Functional Health, Farmers Branch, 3,380 percent growth rate
No. 148 SmartLight Analytics, Plano, 3,317 percent growth rate
No. 168 Digital Thrive, Dallas, 3,056 percent growth rate
No. 172 Forester Haynie, Dallas, 2,984 percent growth rate

Here are the other Texas companies appearing in the state’s top 20:

No. 60 AdOutreach, Austin, 6,052 percent growth rate
No. 62 Webforce, Austin, 6,009 percent growth rate
No. 117 Homestead Brands, Austin, 3,839 percent growth rate
No. 174 Disrupt Equity, Houston, 2,975 percent growth rate
No. 188 24HourNurse Staffing, Pittsburg, 2,801 percent growth rate
No. 201, Everly Health, Austin, 2,643 percent growth rate
No. 209, Texas Solar Integrated, San Antonio, 2,559 percent growth rate
No. 212, Apple Blvd Boutique, Frisco, 2,555 percent growth rate
No. 285 Element 26, Austin, 1,948 percent growth rate
No. 312 Boostlingo, Austin, 1,820 percent growth rate
No. 317 Cover Desk, Austin, 1,800 percent growth rate
No. 325 Canopy Management, Austin, 1,758 percent growth rate

“The accomplishment of building one of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S., in light of recent economic roadblocks, cannot be overstated,” says Scott Omelianuk, editor in chief of Inc. “Inc. is thrilled to honor the companies that have established themselves through innovation, hard work, and rising to the challenges of today.”

Companies on the 2022 Inc. 5000 are ranked by percentage growth in revenue from 2018 to 2021. To qualify for the list, a company must have been founded and been generating revenue by March 31, 2018. The company also must have been U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independent as of December 31, 2021. The minimum revenue required for 2018 was $100,000; the minimum for 2021 was $2 million.

rankings lists

Under the Sun

Solar power poised to surpass coal for the first time in Texas

Photo by Bill Mead on Unsplash

Utility-scale solar generation has been increasing steadily in Texas.

Solar power promises to shine even brighter in Texas this year. A new forecast from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) indicates that for the first time, annual power generation from utility-scale solar will surpass annual power generation from coal across the territory covered by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).

Solar generation is expected to reach 78 billion kilowatt-hours in 2026 in the ERCOT grid, compared with 60 billion kilowatt-hours for coal, the EIA forecast says. The ERCOT grid supplies power to about 90 percent of Texas.

“Utility-scale solar generation has been increasing steadily in ERCOT as solar capacity additions help meet rapid electricity demand growth,” the forecast says.

Although natural gas remains the dominant source of electricity generation in ERCOT, accounting for an average 44 percent of electricity generation from 2021 to 2025, solar’s share of the generation mix rose from 4 percent to 12 percent. During the same period, coal’s share dropped from 19 percent to 13 percent.

EIA predicts about 40 percent of U.S. solar capacity, or 14 billion kilowatt-hours, added in 2026 will come from Texas.

Although EIA expects annual solar generation to exceed annual coal generation in 2026, solar surpassed coal in ERCOT on a monthly basis for the first time in March 2025, when solar generation totaled 4.33 billion kilowatt-hours and coal’s totaled 4.16 billion kilowatt-hours. Solar generation continued to exceed that of coal until August of that year.

“In 2026, we estimate that solar exceeded coal for the first time in March, and we forecast generation from solar installations in ERCOT will continue to exceed that from coal until December, when coal generation exceeds solar,” says EIA. “We expect solar generation to exceed that of coal for every month in 2027 except January and December.”

For 2027, EIA forecasts annual solar generation of 99 billion kilowatt-hours in the ERCOT grid, compared with 66 billion kilowatt-hours of annual coal generation.

In April, ERCOT projected almost 368 billion kilowatt-hours of demand in ERCOT’s territory by 2032. ERCOT’s all-time peak demand hit 85.5 billion kilowatt-hours in August 2023.

“Texas is experiencing exceptional growth and development, which is reshaping how large load demand is identified, verified, and incorporated into long-term planning,” ERCOT President and CEO Pablo Vegas said. “As a result of a changing landscape, we believe this forecast to be higher than expected … load growth.”

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This article first appeared on our sister site, EnergyCapitalHTX.

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