ScaleUp Ceremony Celebrates 2025 Graduates and Expanded Impact in Florida

This month, Dean Allen, CEO of McKinstry, joined McKinstry teams to congratulate 2025 ScaleUp graduates. ScaleUp is McKinstry’s business accelerator program that helps emerging diverse business partners rise to the next level. Dean led the virtual graduation, offering specific feedback and words of praise and encouragement to all participants.

“We fundamentally believe that if we can help enterprises like yours grow and prosper, you will do amazing things in your community and you will do amazing things for your employees,” Dean said.

McKinstry chooses participants for their potential to succeed and grow. Edwin Wanji, CEO of Sphere Solar Energy, is a great example. Edwin brings extensive experience, including hands-on learning as a youth in Africa, studies taken around the world, employment at the City of Seattle, and his current entrepreneurial venture. His business includes a nonprofit division that helps create pathways to careers in solar for youth. He used his experience at ScaleUp to explore more robust options for job cost tracking and estimating in his business.

“Thanks to our advisor, Jon Miller, we’ve developed some tools that we’re starting to apply,” said Edwin. “The most important part has been the feedback loop once projects are complete and evaluating gaps that are missing and how to start implementing new processes going forward.”

A First for Florida

This year, McKinstry teams worked with a business in Tampa for the first time. Riley Fair advised Richard Coates, CEO of Clearwater-based engineering firmGulf Atlantic Engineers, in creating a go-to-market plan for public-sector clients. Coates credits the mentorship, support, and resources from the program—especially the team in Tampa and his advisor—for tangible results.

“I participate in one of these types of mentee/protégé programs every year and by far this has been the best and has yielded the most results of anything I’ve been involved with before,” Richard said.

Riley helped Richard develop process maps for marketing the business, acquiring and tracking customers, recruiting employees, devising a sales process and more.

“In this time that I’ve been working with Riley, I’ve been successful in landing a handful of public sector contracts, some directly that are small business set-asides and some as a subconsultant with other larger firms,” Richard said. “This has been a wonderful ride for our company, and I appreciate everything that McKinstry has done and is continuing to do for my company.”

Riley echoed Richard’s enthusiasm for the partnership and plans to continue the connection quarterly to check in with Gulf Atlantic Engineers.

“From digging into the details of Richard’s business to meeting his family, this experience has been so rewarding,” Riley said. “Richard has a solid foundation for his business, and I’m just happy that our team in Tampa and I have been able to give him an added boost to propel his business further.”

Helping Small Businesses Helps Everyone

ScaleUp is part of McKinstry’s Vendor Diversity program and a commitment to create greater opportunities for diverse-owned subcontractors and suppliers to join both the industry and the roster of vendor partners. Other 2025 ScaleUp graduates include Haylli Villalobos with Pine Construction; Diana Peña Khribeche with Peloton Industries; and Rachelle Moschetti with HCL Engineering & Surveying, LLC.

“Every year I’m inspired to see our McKinstry advisors and ScaleUp participants working closely together,” said Kate Kleyman, senior program manager, Social Impact. “It’s time well spent for people who are committed to driving change in our industry and the ScaleUp participants who are committed to improving and growing their businesses. I’m proud to know that we’re continuing to build a pipeline for teams to partner with great businesses across the United States.”

Explore Other Insights

Share: