Inc. Magazine published the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies last week, and once again, several promotional products suppliers and distributors appeared in the rankings. In total, 37 industry businesses made the list this year, an increase over last year’s 26 companies. IQ Office Products, a distributor located in Scottsdale, Ariz., took the top spot of any industry company, coming in at number 679. The highest-ranked supplier was Society Awards of Long Island City, N.Y.
The Inc. 5000 list ranks U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit companies based on their percentage of revenue growth over a three-year period (2008-2011 for the most recent list). Companies that went public or were acquired before December 31, 2011 are ineligible for consideration. As a result, volume of business is less important than speed of growth, and younger companies are at a distinct advantage. The number one company on the list, Unified Payments, earned $59.5 million in 2011 but had a three-year growth of 23,646 percent. Grocery chain Publix, which had the highest revenue at $27 billion, had growth of only 13 percent, placing the company at 4778. Facebook was number 294, with $3.7 billion and 1,264 percent growth.
Of the 37 total industry members, 24 were distributor companies, and a third of those were Proforma owners. The Cleveland-based company boasted eight spots on the list, making it the company with the largest number of franchises on the list. Proforma Marketing Agency was the company’s highest ranking franchise at number 2646.
“We are very pleased to have eight Proforma owners on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies,” said Greg Muzzillo, founder of Proforma. “Proforma experienced a 10 percent sales increase over last year and we are on track for continued growth in 2012. We are proud of these Owners who are key contributors to the success of our organization.”
For many of the companies, this is not the first year for ranking on the Inc. 5000. Seventeen of the 37 businesses reappear from the 2011 list, including iClick, last year’s top-ranking supplier, Motivators and SnugZ USA.
“I echo my comments from last year,” said Brandon Mackay, CEO of SnugZ USA, Salt Lake City. “First, our customers are loyal beyond belief and for that we’re truly blessed, and second, we have the hardest working crew in the business period.”
For Westbury, New York-based distributor Motivators, this year marks the company’s fifth consecutive placement on the Inc. 5000. “It’s an honor to be acknowledged by Inc. for another year. The remarkable staff at Motivators continues to work harder than ever, and our ranking on the list reflects that,” said Ken Laffer, MAS, MASI, CEO of Motivators.
In addition to appearing on the list for multiple years, six of the companies climbed higher on the rankings this year. Raining Rose, Proforma Printing & Promotion, iPROMOTEu, CafePress, Proforma Albrecht & Co. and Brenthaven all showed increased revenue gains over the studied period.
“We’re thrilled to be included, once again, on Inc.’s list of the fastest-growing companies in America,” said Ross Silverstein, president and CEO of iPROMOTEu, based in Wayland, Mass. “The recognition is a testament to the strength of our business model. I’d like to acknowledge and thank iPROMOTEu’s hard-working employees, its loyal affiliates, its suppliers and all its other supporters for their contribution to our growth and success.”
Inc. pulled a number of interesting statistics outside of pure revenue and percentage growth. New York topped the list of cities with the most fast-growing companies at 350, beating Washington, D.C. by three. The industry with the largest growth rate is media, which includes most e-media services, at 578 percent; advertising and marketing companies grew at 93 percent. Nearly half, 47.1 percent, of all companies on the list make under $10 million annually, while 36 of the businesses made over $1 billion in 2011. Twelve of the companies were promotional products suppliers, compared to 7 last year, while distributors took up 25 slots on the list, up from 19.
The full Inc. 5000 list is available on their website. A list of the promotional products companies appearing on the Inc. 5000 appears below:
IQ Office Products – 679
Society Awards – 1418
National Gift Card – 1508
Office Xpress – 1775
Skinit – 2135
Raining Rose – 2187
InkHead Promotional Products – 2217
DiscountMugs.com – 2266
Quality Logo Products – 2288
Boundless Network – 2551
The Source – 2594
Showdown Displays – 2764
Proforma Marketing Agency – 2797
Proforma Printing & Promotion – 2889
Proforma Promotionally Yours – 2976
iClick – 3046
Dyenomite – 3057
PrintGlobe – 3070
Sonic Promos – 3373
iPROMOTEu – 3583
ALPI International – 3671
CafePress – 3716
Tumi Holdings (parent of Tumi Special Markets) – 3819
Commotion Promotion – 3916
Fine Promotions – 3969
Proforma Albrecht & Co. – 3990
Motivators.com – 4050
Golfballs.com – 4202
Proforma Graphic Service – 4321
Proforma Print Marketing – 4427
Brenthaven – 4434
Ares Sportswear – 4594
Proforma Brand Proformance – 4680
Proforma Graphic Printsource – 4870
ePromos Promotional Products – 4936
Impressions Printing – 4962
SnugZ USA – 4968
Editor’s note: Some companies may be listed on the Inc. 5000 under a different name and as a result may not appear on this list. Promo Marketing will update the list to reflect any new information provided.
