Over the past several years, Central Ohio companies have had an increasing presence on the Inc. 5000’s list of fastest-growing privately-held companies in the U.S. In 2012, 40 companies made the list and in 2013, 42 companies. That number rose to 45 in 2014 and again in 2015 to 49, before hitting a five-year high of 50 in 2016.
Previously published research from the Kauffman Foundation shows that Columbus is actually one of the best places in the U.S. to grow a business, ranking #4 Highest in Growth Entrepreneurship Activity in 2016. The index looked at three measures – rate of startup growth, share of scaleups and high-growth company density.
High-growth companies defined as “private businesses with at least $2 million dollars in annual revenue with 20 percent annualized revenue growth over a three-year period,” made up 144 of every 100,000 employer businesses in Columbus. As for startup growth, startups turning five years old had grown by an average of 51.9 percent.
While just over 50 percent is a strong growth rate, some Central Ohio businesses saw rates in the thousands over a three-year period as measured by the Inc. 5000. Small Business Owners of America earned the area’s highest ranking, landing just outside the top 10 in the country at #11 with a growth rate of 12,060 percent. Fab Glass and Mirror, Idea Buyer and Apeks Supercritical also saw growth rates in the thousands.
Apeks represents one of a number of businesses that have earned a spot on the list for multiple years. King Memory, RevLocal, Updox, treetree, Dynamit, Zipline Logistics, Adept Marketing and more made the list for at least the second year in a row.
Newcomers to the list included businesses involved in the development that seems to be taking place on every corner of Columbus including Compton Construction and Kaufman Development. IT Services and related industries like software and computer hardware made up the largest portion of ranked Central Ohio businesses at 38 percent. Again looking at the Kauffman findings, IT is an industry in which Columbus performs well with the #4 highest density of high-growth companies in the IT services industry.
The complete list of local companies making the Inc. 5000 include:
- 11 – Small Business Owners of America
- 185 – Fab Glass and Mirror
- 197 – Idea Buyer
- 236 – Apeks Supercritical
- 431 – King Memory
- 454 – Janz
- 455 – MES
- 517 – TeamBuilder Search
- 571 – Updox
- 657 – Kaufman Development
- 674 – Test Double
- 734 – RevLocal
- 825 – Compton Construction
- 916 – Ventech Solutions
- 926 – AlerStallings
- 1095 – Medical Staffing Options
- 1328 – IM Creative
- 1381 – Coastal Ridge Real Estate
- 1471 – treetree
- 1646 – geoAMPS
- 1755 – MeridianSoft
- 1891 – Signature Closers
- 2082 – Environmental Remediation Contractor
- 2224 – Plug Smart
- 2256 – United Software Group
- 2424 – Dynamit
- 2465 – IMPROVEIT 360
- 2669 – Zipline Logistics
- 2762 – Adept Marketing
- 3075 – Network9
- 3131 – Pillar Technology
- 3235 – Sophisticated Systems
- 3252 – Gerber
- 3301 – ERP Analysts
- 3304 – Lightwell
- 3394 – ARCOS
- 3551 – eSchoolView
- 3620 – Deemsys
- 3755 – StarTech.com
- 3796 – Quantum Health
- 3877 – Hamilton Capital Management
- 3922 – REMEDI Electronic Commerce Group
- 4374 – American Business Solutions
- 4378 – AXIA Consulting
- 4576 – Atlas Butler Heating and Cooling
- 4689 – Just Smiles
- 4717 – Navigator Management Partners
- 4794 – Proforma Graphic Services
- 4880 – Strategic Systems
- 4936 – Questline
For the full list, visit inc.com/inc5000/list/2016/.
