Turkey’s Fastest Growing Company Came out of Antalya Ares Shipyard increased its sales by 4473% between 2012 and 2015.

ANKARA – Under the leadership of Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) and TEPAV’s cooperation, the fastest growing 100 companies of Turkey have been designated. The award ceremony was hosted by TOBB President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu with the participation of Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli. Ares Shipyard has become the fastest growing company by increasing its sales 4473% in three years.

The award ceremony for “Turkey’s fastest growing 100 companies” competition was held at TOBB’s Conference Hall and started with TEPAV Managing Director Güven Sak’s speech on Turkey and world economy. Sak pointed out that most of the companies in the list are small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). He mentioned that only 11 non-SME companies are in the list, and more than half of the companies have less than 50 employees. Sak emphasized that small size companies can also grow fast but SME definition cannot reflect this dynamism. He stated that “We need a new name that can define SMEs’ capacity to leap forward and the strength of the new. We need to erase the perception of ‘SME cannot grow, it cannot forecast anyways.’ I think these competitions should conduce to make us think about how to take measures to make SMEs more animated.”

TOBB President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu

In his speech at the ceremony TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu pointed out that the average growth rate of the 100 companies between 2012 and 2015 is 438% and stated that “This is an amazing score. They made a performance 12 times better over the Turkey’s national income increase.” Hisarcıklıoğlu also mentioned that they intended to make the ceremony in 2016 but due to the successively incidents took place in the year they had to postpone it several times.

Hisarcıklıoğlu pointed out that Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli knows private sector very well and the Government has made and continues to make a high number of reforms that increase private sector’s competition.

Hisarcıklıoğlu mentioned that they evaluated the increase in companies’ revenues between 2012 and 2015 and stated that “The average growth rate of the 100 companies between 2012 and 2015 is 438%. This is an amazing score. They made a performance 12 times better over the Turkey’s national income increase.” He reminded that all the companies in the list are innovative ones and they conduct the work that is known by everyone with a very different understanding.

“Anatolia’s rise is clearly seen”

Hisarcıklıoğlu pointed out that other than three big cities (İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir) there are companies from 22 cities and stated that “Anatolia’s rise is clearly seen. Among the 23 cities from Centers of Attraction Programme, launched by Mr. Prime Minister yesterday, there is one company from Tunceli Province. I believe that after the incentives and support for 23 cities in East and Southeast Anatolia there will be many more companies in the list from these cities.” He also mentioned that 73 of the companies are planning new investments in 2017.

Michael Jordan as a role model for entrepreneurs

Hisarcıklıoğlu pointed out that they aim to increase the number of entrepreneur role models and stated that “We want every company to be a role model for new entrepreneurs. The companies in the list are already doing this. 40 companies in the list have supported their own employees to establish a company. There are 192 companies established this way and they are still operating. Thus, we can say that these companies are schools that raise entrepreneurs.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu mentioned that entrepreneurs should learn from failure stories as well as success stories. He said “Success is in fact is the award of previous failures. One of the best basketball players of the history Michael Jordan said once ‘I missed 9 thousand shots in my career and lost nearly 300 games. I couldn’t score the game point 2 times and my team lost because of me. If it wasn’t for my failures, I couldn’t even imagine my success.’ So, the one who says ‘I’ll fail’ and gives up cannot become rich anyways.”

After giving his suggestions to company owners for leading their companies’ growth effectively, Hisarcıklıoğlu reminded that people make their biggest mistakes at times when they trust themselves the most. He mentioned that team members have a share in the growing as much as leaders and said that “Do your best to find and attract the right people to your company. Do not spread your energy and try to do many different things at a single time. Go after whatever separated you from your rivals.”

Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli

Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli pointed out that the implementation of credit configuration by Credit Guarantee Fund’s (KGF) surety will start next week and said that “We are closing down every aspect that a bank can say ‘no’. We will never allow any companies to withdraw from the market due to financial problems.”

Canikli stated that production is difficult and demanding process. He mentioned that banks in developed countries have problems related to asset quality; however Turkish banks do not have any problems regarding that.

Canikli underlined that Turkish banking system’s not having any problems despite all the fluctuation cannot be read as coincidence and said that “After 2008 crisis FED pumped money to US Banks and transferred trillions of US Dollars, ECB did the same for European banks. However, in Turkey there has not been any need to transfer any sources from the state despite all the fluctuation.”

“Banking sector should provide sources to real sector”

Canikli pointed out that it has paramount importance for the real sector to continue in its route to be supported by the banking sector’s sources with affordable prices in an uninterrupted way and stated that “In order to be a player in global markets, your company should have the opportunities provided to other countries’ global players. Financial support is the most important one among these.”

“Financing will be as cheap as possible”

Canikli emphasized the surety by KGF in order make it easier to reach the loans and said that “Financing will be as cheap as possible. It will be able to reach everyone. We even told banks the following: ‘If a company has the slightest symptom of life, you’ll provide them the needed support and they’ll rise.’ The implementation has not started yet, we are collecting demands. We’ll initiate it next week at the latest. After it starts, the ministers will realize all these demands. The initiative belongs to us, not banks. It does not bring any risk to the bank, because it is guaranteed by the Treasury. We are closing down every aspect that a bank can say ‘no’. We will never allow any companies to withdraw from the market due to financial problems.”

The ceremony continued with granting the awards.

General information about Turkey 100 companies:

• Company Size:
  • Number of big size companies (More than 250 employees): 11
  • Number of medium size companies (Between 50-249 employees): 34
  • Number of small size companies (Less than 50 employees): 56
• Growth rate between 2012 and 2015:
  • Big size 11 companies’ growth rate: 385%
  • Medium size 34 companies’ growth rate: 537%
  • Small size 56 companies’ growth rate: 388%
• Exports:
  • Number of the companies that stated that they exported in 2015: 71
  • Among the 71 companies:
    • 9 of them are big size
    • 26 of them are medium size
    • 36 of them are small size
• Top 5 companies

Ares Shipyard (4473%), Best Furniture (%2829), Es Group Holdings (%1685), Dönersan Döner (%1593), and Ruha Electrics (%1316)

• The majority of companies are from İstanbul

Although the winner company is from Antalya, the majority of the companies in the list are from İstanbul with 39 companies. The second ranked city is Kocaeli with 8 companies, İzmir ranks the third with 7 companies, Adana, Ankara, and Antalya has 5 companies each, 4 companies are from Gaziantep, and Bursa and Kayseri has 3 companies each.

• Wholesale trade is the leading sector

It is seen from the 100 companies that conventional sectors can also grow fast. The breakdown of sectors among the companies is as follows: “Wholesale trade” ranks as the first sector with 24 companies. The top five sectors following wholesale trade are “production food products” with 8 companies, “computer programing, consultancy, and related activities” with 8 companies, “production of rubber and plastic products” with 6 companies, “production of fabrication metal products” with 6 companies, “other productions” with 5 companies, “production of chemical products” with 4 companies, “retail trade” with 4 companies, and “production of motor land vehicles, trailer, and semi-trailer” with 4 companies.

Turkey 100 Competition

The awards of the Turkey 100 Competition, which is conducted to draw attention at a global scale, was given to the winners in the ceremony at TOBB’s Conference Hall with the participation of TOBB President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu and Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli. Leading names of the business sector and the owners of Turkey 100 companies from all over Anatolia attended to the ceremony.

Turkey’s fastest 100 growing companies, which are designated through the increase in their revenues, find an opportunity to increase their appearance in the global market and strengthen their connections at a global scale. They get to know the US market from closer with a business trip to the country.

Top 5 Companies of the Turkey 100