On April 21, the University of Houston and the University of Houston Alumni Association celebrated the 12th Annual Cougar 100 Awards, recognizing the fastest-growing businesses owned or led by UH alumni. The annual program highlights the strength of the Cougar entrepreneurial community and the lasting impact of alumni connections across industries.
Hines College alumni accounted for ten percent of the top 100 companies recognized this year. Protolab Architects ranked among the awardees for the first time this year, while Albarran Architects and GreeNexus Consulting rejoined the ranks of top Cougar-owned companies.
Cougar 100 rankings are based on each company’s compound annual growth rate over a three-year period. Eligible businesses must have been in operation for at least five years and report at least $250,000 in gross revenue, with the top 100 recognized for their continued growth and success.
Alumni from the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design continue to demonstrate the reach and influence of a UH design education through their leadership, entrepreneurship, and creative practice.
2025 Cougar 100
UH Hines College Alumni Recipients
#11 Moment Architects
Matthew Giardina (B.Arch. ’11, M.B.A. ’17)
Moe Moe Giardina (B.Arch. ’11, B.S. ’11)
Moment Architects is a full-service architecture firm serving the Greater Houston and Austin areas. They offer comprehensive solutions for commercial, residential, and multifamily projects, with a client-focused approach that emphasizes thoughtful design and seamless execution. Their portfolio encompasses a diverse range of projects, including custom homes, remodels and additions, multifamily residential developments and commercial spaces. They are passionate about designing spaces that enrich the lives of their inhabitants, ensuring that each project aligns with their clients' visions and needs.
#19 SMC Landscaping Services
Sonia Chavez ('02)
Lupe Gonzalez (B.Arch. and B.S. '00)
SMC Landscape Services serves the greater Houston area. They provide full-service landscape maintenance for commercial and residential properties. Their personalized services include maintenance, as well as enhancement of your property. They focus on being good environmental stewards and helping their customers conserve their natural resources. They understand the importance of water conservation and keep this in mind when selecting plants and trees that thrive in our native landscape.
#22 Aria Signs & Design, LLC
Shaya Attaei (B.Arch. ’13, M.Arch. ’15)
Aria Signs is one of the fastest-growing signage companies in the city of Houston. The company designs, fabricates, and installs interior and exterior signage for major leading companies such as retail stores, restaurants, hospitals, shopping centers, and stadiums.
#31 Hybrid Fab
Frank Martin (B.S. '12)
Hybrid Fab is a Houston-based design team specializing in custom turnkey architectural metal design, engineering, and fabrication. Our name tells our story, referring to the blend of exemplary creative craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology brought to each individual project. The term "Fab" for fabrication describes the precisely cut and tailored finishing they provide for every piece. The company is committed to creating a unique experience in every space, guiding the transformation from an architect's meticulously designed vision to a powerful reality.
#33 Protolab Architects
Michael Gonzalez (B.Arch. ’08, B.S. ’08)
Protolab Architects is a Houston-based design practice founded by Michael Gonzalez that explores architecture through experimentation, fabrication, and built work. The firm bridges research and practice, using design as a testing ground for new materials, construction methods, and spatial ideas.
#37 Albarran Architects
Franco Albarran (B.Arch. ’99)
Albarran Architects is a full-service Architectural firm offering services from schematic design to construction administration. Franco Albarran currently serves as the Treasurer of the College’s Architecture and Design Alumni Association.
#50 G. Lyon Photography
Geoffrey Lyon (B.Arch. '97)
Jennifer Murray (M.A. '22)
Collectively Canadian and Houstonian at their core, G. Lyon Photography, Inc. embodies a friendly, hospitable, and unpretentious spirit while meticulously ensuring technical precision in the artistic realm. Staying true to their roots, they leverage their architectural, business, and photographic expertise on bringing out the best in their clients' work, both in Houston and in the ever-expanding regions where they operate.
#51 THR3E Design
Jennifer Higgins (B.Arch. ’07)
Barry Leong (B.Arch. ’00, B.S. ’00)
THR3E Design is a full-service architecture and interior design firm specializing in health care, higher education, and industrial projects. Our principal-led approach provides expert guidance at every stage, from programming and design development to construction administration, ensuring thoughtful, functional, and high-quality design solutions.
#56 GreeNexus Consulting, LLC
Amanda Tullos (B.Arch. ’03)
GreeNexus removes barriers to creating a built environment maximizing the triple bottom line of economic value, social responsibility, and environmental impact. By offering a wide range of services for developers, property owners, designers, and general contractors, the company provides equitable sustainability goals and solutions. This is the third year GreeNexus has been honored as part of the Cougar 100.
#88 H4 Architects and Engineers, LLC
Allan Hensley (’03, M.Arch. ’04)
Sherie Hensley (’98)
H4 Architects and Engineers provides full-service architecture and MEP engineering. They strive to exceed client expectations and develop long-lasting relationships.