Georgia State Alumni company ranked fastest growing agency in the Southeast

Georgia State alumni Alex Membrillo and Stephen Popov’s Internet marketing company was recently named the fastest growing agency in the southeast by The Agency Post.

In addition to receiving one of the top rankings in the southeast, the company, Cardinal Web Solutions, was 8th fastest growing company in the U.S.

Popov, president and CEO, said the ranking is a huge accomplishment, but more importantly, it has allowed the staff to see their hard work pay off.

“We started helping small business gain the online visibility they deserve in 2009 and have now grown to middle-tier companies and enterprises,” Membrillo, CEO, said.

“This ranking is the culmination of four and a half years of work,” Papov said.

According to Cardinal Web Solutions, who specializes in search engine optimization and search engine marketing, one-third of the company’s 20-person staff attended Georgia State.

Clients include Hilton Hotel & Resorts, America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses, Sheraton Hotel & Resorts and Express Oil Change.

“If we have to pick between a Georgia Tech, UGA or Georgia State student, we pick State every time,” Membrillo said. “We are always hiring and looking for the best and brightest. Our staff is the best group of young and hungry kids and that’s what sets us apart from our competition.”

Membrillo and Popov graduated from Georgia Sate in 2008. They said they struggled to find work in the middle of the recession and lived off unemployment checks until 2009 when they founded Cardinal Web Solutions with $1,400 in Norcross, GA.

While attending Georgia State, Membrillo and Popov met when they both joined the Epsilon Nu Chapter of the Pi Kappa Alpha (PIKE) fraternity.

The two colleagues remember meeting new people in the University Courtyard Tuesdays and Thursdays and compared Georgia State’s diverse campus to the business world.

They said the classes they took at State helped prepare them for the business world, but interacting with the diverse student body on campus proved invaluable.

“I cannot stress how important networking on campus was to my personal development,” Popov said.

Membrillo, who majored in management, said his human resources classes have helped him prepare for interviews, but believes grades are not the most important part of college.

“Your GPA doesn’t matter. I’ve never asked a potential hire what their GPA was,” he said.

In addition to joining a sorority or fraternity, if possible, Membrillo and Papov recommend that students attend social events around campus and network in preparation for the business world.

“We met a lot of our clients through Greek life,” Membrillo noted.

Membrillo and Papov have been featured in numerous publications, including the Wall Street Journal, but they said having a story in The Signal is their favorite one yet.

Clients include Hilton Hotel & Resorts, America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses, Sheraton Hotel & Resorts and Express Oil Change.