Sam Houston 79

Sam Houston 79 graphic The Sam Houston 79 honors the founding year of the Sam Houston Normal Institute and pays homage to the beginning of our great university in 1879. This SHSU Alumni Association annual event identifies and honors the fastest growing SHSU Bearkat-owned and Bearkat-led businesses in the world. In addition, the Sam Houston 79 provides a forum to pass lessons to the next generation of Bearkat business entrepreneurs and leaders.

The nominated businesses that send in their information will be ranked, and the top businesses based on percentage of compound annual growth in sales or revenues (net of returns), over a three-year period will be recognized and celebrated during the annual Sam Houston 79 event.

If you know of a Bearkat Business you would like to nominate, nominations for the Sam Houston 79 event are open now!

Nomination Form

2025 Sam Houston 79 Awards Program:

October 20th, 2025

COMPLETE YOUR APPLICATION TODAY!

Application Form

How to Apply

Complete the Sam Houston 79 Application.
Download and complete the Sam Houston 79 Revenue Verification Form.
Email the completed and signed Sam Houston 79 Revenue Verification Form to SamHouston79@whitleypenn.com.

Important Dates

All companies nominated for the Sam Houston 79, by June 15 of each year, will receive a personalized application link to apply for that year's ceremony.

Sam Houston 79 Nominations: Open All Year Round!

Businesses may be nominated or directly apply to enter the SH 79 award program. Nominations are encouraged to be placed on our contact list for program updates.

2025 Sam Houston 79 Applications Open: May 2025

2025 Sam Houston 79 Applications Close: Wednesday, July 31, 2025

2025 Sam Houston 79 Awards Program: October 20th, 2025

Eligibility

Company size and longevity

The Company must meet both of the following criteria:

Have been in business for 3 years or more as of December 31,2024

Have had verifiable revenues of $100,000 or more in calendar year 2024.

Bearkat Leadership

The Company must meet one or more of the three criteria below to be eligible. A Sam Houston State University former student (or group of former students):

Must have founded the company and been active as a member of the most senior management team from January 1,2022 through December 31, 2024
Must have owned 50% or more of the company from January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2024
Must have served as the Company’s chief executive (for example chairman, CEO, president or managing partner) from January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2024

Company Character

The Company must operate in a manner consistent with the Bearkat Code of Conduct and in keeping with the values and image of SHSU.

Reserves the right to:

Independently verify that nominees meet all criteria
Reject any nominee for any reason
Modify Criteria/Requirements as needed without notification

The Sam Houston 79 Application Process

Step 1: All companies must be nominated or self apply. The nomination period runs year round.
Step 2: Once the application period opens, all nominated companies will receive details on how to submit their company application. The Sam Houston 79 application is due on July 31 each year. The application form is fairly simple and only requires you to answer a few questions and attach documentation to verify revenues.
Step 3: All companies that complete the application process will be notified by email in early August so that they may make plans to attend the awards luncheon in the fall of 2025. The full list will not be released until the Awards Luncheon. All companies are asked to keep the information confidential until the celebration.
Step 4: Companies named to the Sam Houston 79 list will be required to submit company and Bearkat Honoree information to be included in all materials.
Step 5: Those companies named to the Sam Houston 79 list will have the opportunity to invite guests to the Awards Dinner each year. Deadlines for those ticket/table purchases are at the end of September each year.
Step 6: Sam Houston 79 Awards Luncheon and Celebration Events will be hosted each fall in honor of the success of all Sam Houston 79 companies. The list will be made public at this time.

Nominations

Nominations are now open for the 2025 Sam Houston 79. Self-nominations are accepted and encouraged. Anyone can nominate a company.

If you know of an Bearkat-owned or Bearkat -led business that you think meets the criteria, don’t hesitate to submit a nomination for them! Nominees will receive an application packet and can choose whether or not they will apply. There is no harm in nominating them for the process.

Nomination Form

Sam Houston 79 Event Sponsorship

I am interested in being a sponsor of the Sam Houston 79. What options are there and how much does it cost?

Use and publication of information/confidentiality

General Program Questions

Does my business qualify?

What does it mean to be Bearkat-owned or led by Bearkats?
For the period of January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2023, the company must have been owned OR led by an Bearkat or group of Bearkats. These dates apply to the 2024 Sam Houston 79 event.
1. Bearkat founded and founder still involved at senior level if not President or CEO.
2. Bearkat-owned means 50% or more owned a Bearkat or group of Bearkats.
3. Bearkat-led means a Bearkat as CEO, President, Managing Partner, or Chairman.
The company must meet one of these criteria. It does not have to meet all three.
Bearkat employees who hold a position in the company other than those listed above cannot be named as a Sam Houston 79 Honoree.
What are the criteria to be on the Sam Houston 79 list?
There are four criteria:
1. The company must be Bearkat-owned or led by Bearkats for the program time frame(January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2023).
2. The company’s revenues must have been $100,000 or more in the calendar year 2021.
3. The company must have been in business for 3 years or more as of December 31,2023.
4. The company must operate in a manner consistent with the Bearkat Code of Conduct.
A company must meet all four criteria to be eligible.

What company information is required and how results are calculated?

How are the results calculated? How is the Sam Houston 79 list determined?

For each applicant, we will calculate the percentage growth in revenues from 2021 to 2023. Nominated companies are asked to provide high-level information about their organization so that the compounded annual growth rate can be calculated.

After the calculations, the companies will be listed by growth rate from the highest to the lowest. The top fastest-growing companies will be named to the Sam Houston 79.
How is revenue defined?
The application form says “verifiable” revenue. How do you verify revenue?
We need a way of verifying the company’s revenue levels. Some of the ways in which revenues can be verified include:
1. Copy of audited, reviewed or compiled financial statements.
2. Copy of page 1 of tax return (you can block out other financial data on page 1 if you wish).
3. Letter from external accountant attesting to revenue level.
If you have issues/concerns about any of these, feel free to contact us and we will work with you.
What information do you need?
The application form will ask for:
1. Contact information
2. Company’s conformance to Sam Houston 79 qualifications (company age, minimum revenue, Bearkat ownership/leadership and adherence to SHSU Code of conduct).
3. Revenue levels for the previous three years.