Recognized for building, and for what he teaches.
Alex Melen has been recognized as an entrepreneur since he was a teenager running T35 Hosting. SmartSites, the agency he co-founded with his brother Michael in 2011, has made the Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies ten years in a row (2017–2026).
Personal awards
- 2026Source ↗Trailblazer of the YearFinalistMicrosoft Advertising Partner Awards (North America)
Individual award; winners announced in New York on October 29, 2026.
- 2025Source ↗Top 100 Marketing Influencers, No. 82Technology for Marketing (London)
The UK marketing-technology show's ranked list of the most influential voices in marketing for 2025.
- 2023Source ↗40 Under 40: IndustryAuto Remarketing
Recognizes people shaping the used-vehicle business.
- 2013Source ↗Empact100, No. 4Empact
Empact's list of the top entrepreneurs aged 35 and under; recognized through Melen LLC, SmartSites' parent company.
- 2012Source →Invited to the White HouseRecognitionThe White House
Met with the Obama administration on young entrepreneurship.
- 2006Source →Top 25 Entrepreneurs Under 25BusinessWeek
Named for building T35 Hosting.
- 2006Student Business of the YearBabson College
- 2001Source →Top 100 Young Entrepreneurs in AmericaYoungBiz Magazine
Inc. 5000, ten years in a row
| Year | Inc. 5000 rank | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | No. 4,010 | 10th consecutive year · 60% three-year growth |
| 2025 | No. 3,418 | |
| 2024 | No. 2,688 | 188% three-year growth |
| 2023 | No. 2,920 | |
| 2022 | No. 2,841 | |
| 2021 | No. 2,364 | |
| 2020 | No. 2,171 | |
| 2019 | No. 2,855 | |
| 2018 | No. 3,450 | |
| 2017 | No. 3,860 | first year on the list |
Company recognition
- 2026Source ↗Rising Partner of the Year and Search Performance Partner of the Year (with Phrasly)FinalistMicrosoft Advertising Partner Awards (North America)
- 2026Source ↗Best Places to Work in New Jersey, No. 27 (medium-sized companies)NJBIZ
- 2021–2026Source ↗Inc. Regionals: NortheastInc.
No. 108 (2026), No. 79 (2025), No. 134 (2024), No. 98 (2021).
- 2024Source ↗Power Partner AwardInc.
- 2020–2024Source ↗Fastest Growing AgenciesAdweek
No. 43 (2024), No. 71 (2023), No. 61 (2022); also named in 2020.
- 2024Source ↗Channel Partner of the Year (Americas)FinalistMicrosoft Advertising Partner Awards
- 2024Source ↗Google Premier Partner, 10 years in a rowGoogle
Top 3% of participating agencies.
- 2018–2024Source ↗Top 250 Privately Held Companies in New JerseyNJBIZ
No. 105 (2024), No. 147 (2022), No. 161 (2021), No. 187 (2020); also listed in 2018.
- 2023Source ↗Top WorkplacesEnergage
- 2018Source →Top internet marketing and social media agencies in New York CityClutch
Before SmartSites
- 2007Source →Top 101 Best FreebiesBloomberg BusinessWeek
T35 Hosting, the free web host Alex founded in 1997, which grew to over a million users.
Updated Oct 11, 2026. Press coverage of these and other milestones is on the press page.
Bring Alex to your next event.
Keynotes, breakouts, and workshops on AI search, digital marketing, and scaling a business. Tell him about your audience and he will come back with a talk built for the room.