The Fastest-Growing Print and Promotional Companies Revealed on the 2012 Inc. 5000
Inc. Magazine published the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies in August, and several members of the print community made appearances on the list. In total, 50 industry businesses made the list this year. CFC Print Solutions, a business forms provider located in Grand Prairie, Texas, was the highest-ranked industry company and the only one to crack the top 500, coming in at number 462.
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 50 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."
The remaining 26 companies were split evenly between printers and promotional products suppliers. Digital printers made up a majority on the print side, while there was more of a mix of promotional products businesses, with several suppliers of awards and recognition, personal care products and office accessories all taking spots.
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 print and promotional products companies appearing on the Inc. 5000 appears below:
CFC Print Solutions - 462
IQ Office Products - 679
M2 Displays - 856
Society Awards - 1418
BuildASign.com - 1500
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
Ryan Printing - 3151
Sonic Promos - 3373
Influence Graphics - 3550
World Pac Paper - 3562
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
Printplace.com - 3993
Motivators.com - 4050
Golfballs.com - 4202
Superior Press - 4285
Proforma Graphic Service - 4321
Proforma Print Marketing - 4427
Brenthaven - 4434
Ares Sportswear - 4594
PrintFlex Graphics - 4596
Salem Printing - 4669
Proforma Brand Proformance - 4680
Zooom Printing - 4683
Allen Printing - 4718
Proforma Graphic Printsource - 4870
Seaway Printing Company - 4872
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. Print + Promo will update the list to reflect any new information provided.
Kyle A. Richardson is the editorial director of Promo Marketing. He joined the company in 2006 brings more than a decade of publishing, marketing and media experience to the magazine. If you see him, buy him a drink.