NEW YORK, August 24, 2010—Inc. magazine today ranked 720 Strategies at #1,462 on its fourth annual Inc. 5000 list, 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. Music website Pandora, convenience store chain 7-Eleven, Brooklyn Brewery, and Radio Flyer, maker of the iconic children’s red wagon, are among the prominent brands featured on this year’s list.
“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.”
720 Strategies is an award-winning, grassroots advocacy and political persuasion firm, specializing in integrated communications campaigns that leverage the best of online, video, print and on-the-ground strategies. 720 helps organizations harness the power of the Internet and offline community-building strategies to achieve education, advocacy and fundraising objectives, offering clients a full range of online education, advocacy and community-building consulting services.
720 Strategies and its team members have received the American Association of Political Consultants’ (AAPC) highest award, the Pollie Awards, for Internet advocacy websites and campaigns and direct mail programs every year from 2001 to 2010. 720 Strategies also received the 2009 Silver Anvil Award from the Public Relations Society of America. Harvard University, AAPC and PoliticsOnline recognized the firm among its inaugural list, “Top 25 Who Are Changing the World of the Internet and Politics.”
“We’re honored to be listed among some of the most influential businesses in America,” said Sherry Stanley Whitworth, Chief Product Officer at 720 Strategies. “While we have received many awards over the years, this one is really special for us.”
The 2010 Inc. 5000 list serves as a unique illustration of the profound changes taking place in the U.S. economy. The Government Services sector showed the biggest gain in terms of the number of companies on the list, up 33 percent from last year to 335 companies. Government Services was also the second-fastest-growing sector in terms of median revenue growth, posting a 202 percent gain over the 2006-2009 measuring period. More than half of these companies are based in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
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). The Inc. 5000 posted an aggregate revenue of $321.6 billion in 2009, up more than 50 percent 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).
Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found on www.inc.com/5000.
Methodology
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 percent of companies on the list constitute the Inc. 500, now in its 29th year.
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