Ranking done by Inc. Magazine’s 500|5000

Vienna, Va. – Inc. magazine ranked NTELX number 1,315 on its fourth annual Inc. 5000, an exclusive ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. The list represents the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy—America’s independent-minded entrepreneurs.

The 2010 Inc. 500|5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2006 to 2009. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by June 30, 2006. Additionally, they had to be based in the United States, privately held, for profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2009. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2006 is $80,000; the minimum for 2009 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. The top 10% of companies on the list constitute the Inc. 500, now in its twenty-ninth year.
“The leaders of the companies on this year’s Inc. 5000 have figured out how to grow their businesses during the longest recession since the Great Depression,” said Inc. president Bob LaPointe. “The 2010 Inc. 5000 showcases a particularly hardy group of entrepreneurs.”
The 2010 Inc. 5000, unveiled on Inc.com, serves as a unique illustration of the profound changes taking place in the US economy. The Government Services sector showed the biggest gain in terms of the number of companies on the list, up 33% from last year to 335 companies. Government Services was also the second-fastest-growing sector in terms of median revenue growth, posting a 202% gain over the 2006-9 measuring period. More than half of these companies are based in the Washington metropolitan area. The fastest-growing sector by median revenue growth was Real Estate, now just a tiny group of thirty-eight young, small companies, which showed 231% median growth over the period.

Despite the fact that most of this year’s measuring period of 2006-9 took place during the latest recession, aggregate revenue among the companies on the list actually increased to $321.6 billion, up more than 50% from last year. The effects of the recession are seen, however, in the median three-year growth rate, which dropped to 96% from last year’s 126%. This year’s Inc. 5000 employ a record 1.4 million people, up from one million on last year’s list. With unemployment remaining stubbornly high, policymakers and business leaders will do well to look to the Inc. 5000 companies for fresh ideas on achieving growth and creating jobs.

Rob Quartel, NTELX CEO and Chairman, said, “what this shows is that companies that can deliver a critical solution can still prosper, even in a down market. The flip side of increasingly complex government regulation is that not only business but governments, at all levels, find themselves needing more and more help to execute the mission in a timely and consistent way. We solve the problem of too much data, increasing regulatory mandates, and too few resources by turning what humans have to do in an operational context into automated decision logic and processes that can help get the job done rapidly, consistently, in a fraction of the time, and at a rational cost.”

Once again, California tops the Inc. 5000 with the most companies of any state with 684. The Golden State is followed by Texas (404), New York (353), Virginia (293), and Florida (262). All 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, are represented on this year’s list. New York boasts 410 Inc. 5000 companies, making it the top metro area, followed by Washington, D.C. (363), Los Angeles (262), Chicago (203), and Boston (189).
The Real Estate sector, although small, was the top-performing industry, with a total growth rate of 189%. Software was second with a growth rate of 126%, and Telecommunications was third with 119%. In total, the companies on the Inc. 5000 have created 1.4 million jobs. The Health sector is the top employer with 287,726 jobs, followed by Business Products & Services (230,066), Food & Beverage (108,344), Human Resources (107,924), and Retail (96,858).

Business Products & Services had the most companies on this year’s list with 640, followed by IT Services (607), Advertising & Marketing (410), Health (396), and Government Services (336). This year’s fastest-growing company is Ambit Energy, a Dallas-based firm that buys electricity and natural gas at wholesale prices and resells the energy to customers acquired through a direct sales channel. The company saw $325 million in revenue in 2009 and a three-year growth rate of 20,369%.

The top woman-run company is Lexicon Consulting (No. 4 overall), based in El Cajon, California. Lexicon creates mock Iraqi and Afghan villages used to train military personnel. The firm, founded by Jamie Arundell-Latshaw in 2005, recorded revenue of $17.9 million in 2009 and a three-year growth rate of 14,018%. The top minority-run company is WDFA Marketing (No. 5 overall), a San Francisco–based firm that specializes in guerrilla grass-roots and micromarketing. WDFA, founded by Raj Prasad, posted revenue of $38.4 million in 2008 and a three-year growth rate of 13,350%.
The Inc. 5000 posted an aggregate revenue of $321.6 billion in 2009, up more than 50% from the previous year. The top five industries by total revenue are Business Products & Services ($84.7 billion), Health ($48.3 billion), Consumer Products & Services ($26.4 billion), Retail ($22.3 billion), and Government Services ($15.1 billion).

About Inc. Magazine

Located right outside the nation’s capital, NTELX offers solutions that allow its clients to capture, organize and translate vast amounts of disparate data into actionable intelligence using sophisticated predictive operational decision analytics.  NTELX has more than ten years of experience improving and automating data-intensive decisions for high-level clients including the US Food and Drug Administration, the Transportation Security Administration, and the Department of Defense, as well as for complex congestion management in port communities in the Middle East.  80% of NTELX clients use its solutions in their daily operations.

About Inc. Magazine

Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures LLC, Inc. (www.inc.com) is the only major business magazine dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies that delivers real solutions for today’s innovative company builders. With a total paid circulation of 712,647, Inc. provides hands-on tools and market-tested strategies for managing people, finances, sales, marketing, and technology.

Each year, Inc. and Inc.com celebrate the remarkable achievements of today’s entrepreneurial superstars—the privately held small businesses that drive our economy. The Inc. 500|5000 Conference & Awards Ceremony brings together members of the Inc. community, both a new class of Inc. 500|5000 honorees and the list’s alumni, for three days of powerful networking, inspired learning, and momentous celebration.