Eight companies based in Wilmington are among the fastest growing privately held companies in the U.S., according to this year's
Inc. 5000 list, released Wednesday.
The companies in the Port City on the list, which Inc. Magazine compiles each year, are Odyssey Fire Protection (No. 805); N2 Publishing (No. 1,045);
101 Mobility (No. 1,789);
Go Energies (No. 1,876);
LoadMatch Logistics (No. 1,973);
Filmwerks International (No. 2,572);
MegaCorp Logistics (No. 3,038); and
IronGate Partners (No. 3,789).
This year's rankings are based on revenue growth from 2011 to 2014, according to Inc. Magazine.
"I love hearing that there's eight companies [in Wilmington] on that list," said Duane Hixon, CEO of
N2 Publishing, whose company grew by 413 percent in three years and reported $65.7 million in revenue last year. "It's exciting to see businesses doing so well."
Founded in 2004, N2 publishes customized neighborhood magazines and has made the Inc. 5000 list every year since 2011. Hixon said he believes two main factors help account for his company's continued expansion: "We always point to our people first. We've got great people from top to bottom, and our plan is working. The second point is that our product actually brings value to our end users. For any business to achieve success long-term, you've got to make sure it brings value."
Odyssey Fire Protection, a subcontractor that provides design, fabrication, installation and inspection services for fire suppression systems, showed the highest percentage of growth, 552 percent, over the three-year period used of any of the Wilmington companies named. The company's revenue last year was $4.1 million, and it added 27 jobs.
"We've grown quite a bit in a short period of time," said Kevin Hommes, president and CFO of Odyssey Fire Protection, which is at 210 Old Dairy Road in Wilmington. "We've just got amazing people, and my business partner [Eric Williams] and I work so well together."
Much of the company's recent expansion has been helped along by the hospital projects that Odyssey has been involved in throughout North and South Carolina, Hommes said.
An example of how quickly 101 Mobility, founded in Wilmington in 2008, has been growing is coming this week, with a new location opening in Puerto Rico on Friday, said company spokesman Brian Havens. 101 Mobility grew by 224 percent from 2011 to 2014, the Inc. 5000 list says.
"Our continued growth is due to a high demand for our products for seniors and disabled individuals, which in turn leads to a high demand for our franchises," Havens said. "I'm proud to say we're still growing."
