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A1 Garage Door Service Awards & Recognition

A1 Garage Door Service Awards & Recognition
November 13, 2026 | 7:51 pm | Fred Smith | 10 min read

Key Takeaways 

  • A1 Garage Door Service has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies eight times (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026). 
  • In 2026, A1 received a BBB Torch Award for Ethics in Greater Arizona and earned Great Place to Work Certification. 
  • The Phoenix Business Journal recognized A1 in its ACE Awards four years in a row (2019 through 2022). 
  • Founder Tommy Mello has been recognized by the Phoenix Business Journal, AZ Big Media, Titan 100 and the Titan Business Awards. 
  • Every award below includes a link or a note on where to check it. You shouldn’t have to take our word for any of it. 

What awards and recognition has A1 Garage Door Service received? 

A1 Garage Door Service started in Phoenix, Arizona, founded by Tommy Mello in 2007. Today, we operate 35 markets in 21 states. 

Since 2018, outside organizations have recognized A1 for three things: how fast we’ve grown, how we treat the people who work here, and how we do business. That includes eight appearances on the Inc. 5000, four straight years in the Phoenix Business Journal ACE Awards, a 2026 BBB Torch Award for Ethics, and Great Place to Work Certification. 

We list these for one practical reason. When you invite a company into your garage, you’re trusting them with the largest moving object in your home. Third-party recognition is one way to check out a company before you pick up the phone. So, every entry below says who gave the award, what it measures, and where you can confirm it. 

Awards don’t fix garage doors. Our technicians do. For the most direct proof, read what our neighbors say in our Google reviews.  

A1 awards at a glance 

Year  Award  Issued by  Recipient  Verify 
2026  Southwest Lost of Fastest Growing Private Companies  Inc.   A1 Gara  Press release 
2026  Inc. 5000  Inc.  A1 Garage Door Service  Inc. profile 
2026  Inc. 5000 Regional Inc.  A1 Garage Door Service  Press release
2026  Torch Awards for Ethics, Greater Arizona  Better Business Bureau  A1 Garage Door Service  Press Release
2026  Most Admired Companies  AZ Big Media  A1 Garage Door Service  AZ Big Media 
2026  Great Place to Work Certified  Great Place to Work  A1 Garage Door Service  Certification page 
2026  Most Admired Leaders  Phoenix Business Journal  Tommy Mello  PBJ 
2025  Inc. 5000  Inc.  A1 Garage Door Service  Inc. profile 
2025  AZ Business Angels  AZ Big Media  Tommy Mello  AZ Big Media 
2025  Visionary of the Year  Titan Business Awards  Tommy Mello  Titan Awards 
2025  Transformation Leader  Titan Business Awards  Tommy Mello  Titan Awards 
2025  Top Choice Community’s Choice Awards  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel  A1 Garage Door Service  Contest gallery 
2025  Best of Milwaukee  [NEEDED: issuer]  A1 Garage Door Service  Washington City Paper
2024  Inc. 5000  Inc.  A1 Garage Door Service  Inc. profile 
2023  Inc. 5000  Inc.  A1 Garage Door Service  Inc. profile 
2023  Best Places to Work, Midsize Finalist  Phoenix Business Journal  A1 Garage Door Service  PBJ 
2022  ACE Awards  Phoenix Business Journal  A1 Garage Door Service  PBJ 
2022  Titan 100, Phoenix  Titan 100  Tommy Mello  Titan 100 
2022  40 Under 40  Phoenix Business Journal  Tommy Mello  PBJ 
2022  Kingman Readers’ Choice Awards  The Kingman Miner (newspaper)  A1 Garage Door Service  The Miner
2021  Inc. 5000  Inc.  A1 Garage Door Service  Inc. profile 
2021  ACE Awards, Top 50 Private Companies  Phoenix Business Journal  A1 Garage Door Service  PBJ 
2020  Inc. 5000  Inc.  A1 Garage Door Service  Inc. profile 
2020  ACE Awards, Top 50 Private Companies  Phoenix Business Journal  A1 Garage Door Service  PBJ 
2019  Inc. 5000  Inc.  A1 Garage Door Service  Inc. profile 
2019  ACE Awards, Fastest-Growing Companies  Phoenix Business Journal  A1 Garage Door Service  PBJ 
2018  Inc. 5000  Inc.  A1 Garage Door Service  Inc. profile 
2013  Top Entrepreneurs in the Valley Under 35  The Arizona Republic  Tommy Mello  Press release 

What awards has A1 Garage Door Service won? 

Inc. 5000 (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026) 

  • Issued by: Inc. magazine 
  • Years: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 
  • What it recognizes: The Inc. 5000 ranks the fastest-growing privately held companies in the United States by revenue growth over a three-year period. Companies submit financial data to qualify. 

Fast growth only matters to a homeowner if service keeps up with it. We grew because customers called us back and referred their friends and family to us. That’s the measure we watch most closely. 

Inc. 5000 Regionals (2026) 

  • Issued by: Inc. magazine 
  • Year: 2026 
  • What it recognizes: Inc.’s regional lists rank the fastest-growing private companies within a specific U.S. region. 

BBB Torch Awards for Ethics, Greater Arizona (2026) 

  • Issued by: Better Business Bureau 
  • Year: 2026 
  • What it recognizes: The BBB Torch Awards for Ethics honor businesses whose leadership, practices and treatment of customers, employees and their community show a commitment to ethical business. 

Of everything on this page, this is the one we’d point you to, our customer, first. It’s about how we treat people, and that’s the reason A1 exists. 

AZ Big Media Most Admired Companies (2026) 

  • Issued by: AZ Big Media (publisher of Az Business magazine) 
  • Year: 2026 
  • What it recognizes: Arizona companies selected for workplace culture, leadership, customer service, innovation and community involvement. 

Phoenix Business Journal ACE Awards (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022) 

  • Issued by: Phoenix Business Journal 
  • Years: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 
  • What it recognizes: The Arizona Corporate Excellence (ACE) Awards rank Arizona’s fastest-growing and top-performing companies. A1 was named among Arizona’s fastest-growing companies in 2019 and among the top 50 private companies in 2020 and 2021. 

Phoenix Business Journal Best Places to Work, Midsize Finalist (2023) 

  • Issued by: Phoenix Business Journal 
  • Year: 2023 
  • What it recognizes: Employers in the Phoenix area selected largely on anonymous employee survey results. A1 was a finalist in the midsize company category. 

Why should a homeowner care where we work? Because the technician who shows up at your door is happier, better trained and more likely to stick around. Plenty of our customers ask for the same tech by name the next time they call. 

What recognition has founder Tommy Mello received? 

Phoenix Business Journal Most Admired Leaders (2026) 

  • Issued by: Phoenix Business Journal 
  • Year: 2026 
  • What it recognizes: Greater Phoenix executives recognized for leadership, company performance and community impact. [NEEDED: confirm whether Tommy’s honor was in the Lifetime Achievement category] 

AZ Big Media AZ Business Angels (2025) 

  • Issued by: AZ Big Media 
  • Year: 2025 
  • What it recognizes: Arizona business leaders and companies honored for charitable giving and community support. 

Titan Business Awards: Visionary of the Year and Transformation Leader (2025) 

  • Issued by: Titan Business Awards 
  • Year: 2025 
  • What it recognizes: An international business awards program that judges entries by category. Tommy was recognized in two individual categories: Visionary of the Year and Transformation Leader. 

Titan 100, Phoenix (2022) 

  • Issued by: Titan 100 
  • Year: 2022 
  • What it recognizes: The top 100 CEOs and C-level executives in the Phoenix area, selected for leadership, vision and company impact. 

Phoenix Business Journal 40 Under 40 (2022) 

  • Issued by: Phoenix Business Journal 
  • Year: 2022 
  • What it recognizes: Phoenix-area professionals under age 40 recognized for career achievement and community involvement. 

Arizona Republic Top Entrepreneurs in the Valley Under 35 (2013) 

  • Issued by: The Arizona Republic 
  • Year: 2013 
  • What it recognizes: Young business owners in the Phoenix area under age 35. 

What certifications does A1 Garage Door Service hold? 

A certification means an outside organization tested or reviewed something specific and signed off on it. Here’s what each one we hold means. 

Great Place to Work Certified (2026) 

  • Issued by: Great Place to Work 
  • Year: 2026 
  • What it means: Great Place to Work surveys a company’s own employees anonymously. A company is certified only if enough employees report a positive, trustworthy workplace. Management can’t buy it or write it. 
  • Why it matters to you: Technicians who are treated well tend to stay. That means more experienced people working on your door. 

 

What professional associations is A1 a member of? 

Membership in a trade association usually means a company agreed to that group’s code of ethics and has access to its training and safety standards. 

 

Where has A1 Garage Door Service been featured in the media? 

These are articles and profiles published by outside media about A1 and Tommy Mello. 

How is A1 involved in the communities it serves? 

Our customers are our neighbors. We live in the same towns, and we try to show up for them outside of service calls too. 

A1 Cares 

A1 Cares is A1 Garage Door Service’s philanthropic and community outreach initiative.
Its focus areas include:
  • Breast Cancer Awareness: Partnering with and supporting breast cancer research, awareness campaigns, and community efforts.

  • Military & Veterans: Giving back to military veterans through dedicated support programs and community engagement.

  • Local Community Outreach: Supporting charitable events, local causes, and outreach programs in the markets the company serve

Local recognition from the neighbors we serve 

  • Milwaukee Top Choice Community’s Choice Awards (2025): A reader-voted program run by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. [NEEDED: category and placement] See the contest gallery. 
  • Best of Milwaukee (2025): 
  • Kingman Readers’ Choice Awards (2022): Voted on by readers in Kingman, Arizona. [NEEDED: issuing publication, category, and link] 
  • AZ Business Angels (2025): Tommy Mello was recognized by AZ Big Media for charitable giving in Arizona. Details. 

Reader-voted awards come straight from local residents. We take those personally. 

How can I verify A1 Garage Door Service’s credentials? 

You should check any company before letting them work on your garage door. Here’s how to check us. 

What to check  Where to check it  What to look for 
Contractor license (Arizona)  Arizona Registrar of Contractors  ROC 267827  ROC 276272  L15870345 
Contractor licenses (other states)  Our Policies and Ethics page (A1 website)
Better Business Bureau  BBB website Accreditation status, rating and complaint history 
Inc. 5000 history  Inc.com profile  Each year on the list 
Workplace certification  Great Place to Work  Current certification dates 
Association memberships  Better Business Bureau
International Door Association (IDA)
Institute of Door Dealer Education and Accreditation (IDEA)		 Listed as a member in good standing 
Customer reviews  A1 Garage Google Reviews page Recent reviews, including technicians named by customers 
Insurance  Ask us for a certificate of insurance 

One tip that applies to any garage door company: ask for the license number before anyone arrives, then look it up yourself. A legitimate company will give it to you without hesitation. 

Frequently asked questions about A1’s qualifications 

Is A1 Garage Door Service licensed and insured? 

Yes. You can confirm our Arizona license through the Arizona Registrar of Contractors using license #[NEEDED]. 

How many times has A1 been on the Inc. 5000? 

Eight times: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. The Inc. 5000 ranks America’s fastest-growing private companies by revenue growth. You can see our listing on Inc.com. 

What is the BBB Torch Award for Ethics, and why did A1 receive it? 

The Torch Award for Ethics is given by the Better Business Bureau to businesses that show ethical leadership and fair treatment of customers, employees and their community. A1 received the Greater Arizona award in 2026.  

Is A1 Garage Door Service a good place for technicians to work? 

A1 is Great Place to Work Certified for 2026, which is based on anonymous surveys of our own employees. The Phoenix Business Journal also named A1 a 2023 Best Places to Work finalist in the midsize category. For homeowners, that matters because experienced, well-supported technicians do better work. 

Who founded A1 Garage Door Service? 

Tommy Mello founded A1 Garage Door Service in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2007. He has been named a Phoenix Business Journal Most Admired Leader (2026), a Phoenix 40 Under 40 honoree (2022) and a Titan 100 Phoenix CEO (2022). 

Do awards mean A1 will do a better job on my garage door? 

Not by themselves. Awards tell you how outside groups view a company’s growth, ethics, and workplace. The best predictor of your experience is recent reviews from homeowners near you, plus a valid license. Check all three before you hire anyone, including us. 

Have questions about our credentials? 

If you want to see a license, an insurance certificate, or anything else on this page, just ask. We’ll send it. 

And when your door needs help, we’re here. Schedule service online, call 833-292-0142, or get a price range first with our online cost estimator. 

A1 From Day 1.