Inc. unveils list of the 5,000 fastest-growing businesses

Inc. on August 23 announced the rankings of its first-ever Inc. 5,000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the country. The Inc. 5,000, an extension of Inc. magazine's annual Inc. 500 list, catches many businesses that are too big to grow at the pace required to make the Inc. 500, as well as a host of smaller firms. Taken as a whole, these companies represent the backbone of the U.S. economy.

The 2007 Inc. 5,000, as revealed online at Inc.com, reported median revenue of $9.4 million and median three-year growth of 140 percent. Complete information on this year's Inc. 5,000, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000. The list features a profile for each company, almost all of them written as a result of Inc. interviews with management. In addition, the list is searchable according to numerous criteria, including industry, city, state, region and year founded.

"The Inc. 5,000 provides the most comprehensive look ever at the most important part of the economy – the entrepreneurial part," said Inc. 5,000 project manager Jim Melloan. "The expansion of the list has allowed us to tell the stories of larger companies, older companies, and a wealth of companies in industries like manufacturing and construction that are underreported in the business media.

Hottest Regions for Fastest-Growing Companies
Leading the list of the fastest-growing companies in the nation is the Midwest region with 1,046 of the fastest-growing companies, followed by the West with 884 companies. The Southeast comes in a close third, with 872 companies, followed by the Northeast with 782 companies, and the Mid-Atlantic region with 606 companies.

Hottest Industries for Fastest-Growing Businesses
The largest business category is construction, with 561 of the fastest-growing companies in this category, followed by manufacturing with 515 companies, IT services in third with 466 companies, business services with 377 companies, and advertising & marketing with 349 companies.

Industries reporting the highest total revenue in 2006 are construction ($27.1 billion), manufacturing ($18.6 billion), health ($13.1 billion), computers & electronics ($12.7 billion), and financial services ($11.8 billion).