Detroit's VisionIT Tops the BusinessWeek SmallBiz/Initiative for a Competitive Inner City Ranking of the 'Inner City 100'
Posted on: Monday, 8 June 2009, 10:30 CDT
Annual list ranks the fastest growing inner city businesses nationwide
NEW YORK, June 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Detroit's VisionIT ranks No. 1 on the BusinessWeek SmallBiz/Initiative for a Competitive Inner City ranking of the "Inner City 100." Published for the first time in BusinessWeek SmallBiz, the 11th annual list ranks the fastest growing inner city businesses nationwide, based on the five-year compound annual growth rate of their sales. Rounding out the top five are Pinnacle Technical Resources in Dallas, Sensis in Los Angeles, Red Door Interactive in San Diego, and NewBath in New Orleans.
The Inner City 100 list calls out more vibrant sectors of the economy, as service companies take over the dominant position once held by construction companies. Most of the companies on the list focus on business-to-business products and services, rather than serving a consumer niche. But perhaps surprisingly, more than half of Inner City 100 CEOs say they have plans to add staff in the first half of 2009, and nearly the same amount say they expect steady growth. Only 11% expect a decline in sales.
"The Inner City 100" list is produced by the Boston-based not-for-profit Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, founded in 1994 by Michael E. Porter, the Bishop William Lawrence University Professor at Harvard Business School. The ICIC's aim is to foster economic growth in inner cities, and identifying high-growth inner city companies is one way it showcases the competitiveness of these areas. The ICIC has pinpointed 172 inner cities, ranging from lesser-known enclaves such as Abilene, Tex., and Joliet, Ill., to more familiar places such as Chicago and New York City. Each inner city is defined as a central city area with a population greater than 100,000. On average, the poverty rates and unemployment rates in the inner cities are more than twice that of the surrounding city populations, and median household incomes are just half those of surrounding areas. Even a cursory consideration of these statistics makes clear the impact that a fast-growing company can have on its neighborhood.
"The Inner City 100" ranking is featured in the June/July 2009 issue of BusinessWeek SmallBiz and is available online at www.businessweek.com/smallbiz.
Rank Company Name/City
1 VisionIT Detroit
2 Pinnacle Technical Resources Dallas
3 Sensis Los Angeles
4 Red Door Interactive San Diego
5 NewBath New Orleans
6 FutureNet Group Detroit
7 Global Technology Resources Denver
8 Navigator Management Partners Columbus, Ohio
9 AEP Books Buffalo, N.Y.
10 Ascellon Corp. Baltimore
11 Kauffman & Associates Spokane, Wash.
12 EnviroWaste Services Group Miami
13 Avencia Inc. Philadelphia
14 PepperDash Technology Allston, Mass.
15 SLR Contracting & Services Co. Buffalo, N.Y.
16 ARS International Port Allen, La.
17 Horizon Staffing Services East Hartford, Conn.
18 Tucker Technology Oakland, Calif.
19 Yerba Buena Engineering & Construction San Francisco
20 Percipio Consulting Group Portland, Ore.
21 comCables Denver
22 Ellicott Dredge Enterprises Baltimore
23 Xantrion Oakland, Calif.
24 Melissa Joy Manning Oakland, Calif.
25 Numi Organic Tea Oakland, Calif.
26 e-Storm International San Francisco
27 Tech Networks of Boston South Boston
28 Guru.com Pittsburgh
29 Voxitas St. Louis
30 Angie's List Indianapolis
31 Digitaria San Diego
32 Cellular Specialties Manchester, N.H.
33 Madeline Anz Slay Architecture San Antonio
34 Auction Systems Auctioneers & Appraisers Phoenix
35 Bankserv San Francisco
36 TECHEAD Richmond, Va.
37 Commonwealth Worldwide Chauffeured Trans. Boston
38 New Era Portfolio Austin, Tex.
39 Net Health Systems Pittsburgh
40 Sacred Power Corp. Albuquerque
41 Two West Kansas City, Mo.
42 Gestra Engineering Milwaukee
43 Hendrickson Custom Cabinetry Bronx, N.Y.
44 Raining Rose Cedar Rapids, Iowa
45 Ruiz Protective Service Dallas
46 The Warrior Group DeSoto, Tex.
47 ARGUS Boston
48 ABC Towing Seattle
49 Academic Network Portland, Ore.
50 KIRA Miami
51 Amuneal Manufacturing Corp. Philadelphia
52 eXcellon Technologies Fort Wayne, Ind.
53 Central Packaging Kansas City, Kan.
54 Long Wave Oklahoma City
55 Pacific Outdoor Living Sun Valley, Calif.
56 Express Kitchen Hartford
57 W Industries Detroit
58 iSi Environmental Services Wichita
59 Park Inc. Charlotte, NC
60 Pro-Liquitech Louisville
61 Spectrum Hampton, Va.
62 Stroll Philadelphia
63 DocuVault Denver
64 QSR St. Louis
65 Tri-Borough Home Care Ltd. Brooklyn, N.Y.
66 NFF Washington, D.C.
67 Sanco Industries Fort Wayne, Ind.
68 MobilityWorks Akron
69 Talan Products Cleveland
70 Extreme Pizza San Francisco
71 Roxbury Technology Jamaica Plain, Mass.
72 International Medical Group Indianapolis
73 YourTel America Kansas City, Mo.
74 Anamarc Enterprises El Paso
75 A.M.E.'s Uniforms Fort Lauderdale
76 A-1 Fire Equipment Miami
77 CAM Services Denver
78 Court Square Data Group Springfield, Mass.
79 Gunther Douglas Denver
80 WhiteSpace Creative Akron
81 Santa Fe Protective Services Albuquerque
82 Four Hands Austin, Tex.
83 El Clasificado Los Angeles
84 All Copy Products Denver
85 Spex-Precision Machine Technologies Rochester, N.Y.
86 Neil Kelly Portland, Ore.
87 CrunchTime! Information Systems Boston
88 Panther Graphics Rochester, N.Y.
89 American Christmas Bronx, N.Y.
90 Bevilacqua Research Corp. Huntsville, Ala.
91 Voss Industries Cleveland
92 Talon/LPE Amarillo, Tex.
93 Montbleau & Associates San Diego
94 Perryman Building & Construction Services Philadelphia
95 Postmodern Co. Denver
96 Green Farms Los Angeles
97 (add) ventures Providence
98 Tenable Protective Services Cleveland
99 Desert Fleet-Serv Phoenix
100 Publishing Solutions Group Boston
SOURCE BusinessWeek
Source: PR Newswire
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