10 Top Cities for Fastest-Growing Companies

After taking a spin around the 2014 Inc. 5000, you may wonder where on earth all these fast-growing companies are located? If you said Silicon Valley and Silicon Alley, you wouldn’t be wrong, but you’d be missing a huge swath of the country and the companies that call the rest of the U.S. home. While these two entrepreneurial hubs are indeed verifiable startup hotbeds, the coasts have hardly cornered the market on thriving businesses.Here is our list of the top 10 cities with the fastest-growing companies.

10. Denver

The largest city in Colorado isn’t just a skier’s delight, it’s home to a thriving entrepreneurial community. Like its business-friendly counterpart to the north, Boulder, Denver boasts highly educated talent and a convenient time zone, which the city’s fastest-growing 47 companies on our list are only too happy to enjoy. Plus, Denver has something else East Coast and West Coast startup hubs don’t have: a lower cost of living. Among other things, its comparatively low-priced housing stock allows entrepreneurs the luxury of plowing more resources into their business.

9. Irvine, Calif.

Surprise! The little town in Orange County, California, with a population of around 230,000 is home to 47 of the fastest-growing companies on this year’s list. (Note, the companies in Irvine are growing just slightly faster than those in Denver, which put the California city ahead on our list.) Perhaps it’s not shocking to many--as the city boasts a world-class public school system and ample centers of higher education, including a University of California campus and Concordia University, among others. Small business marketer 29 Prime is the fastest-growing company on Inc.’s list in the region.

8. Dallas

The Dallas-Fort Worth area has the fifth-largest concentration of high-tech workers, and it ranks fifth in the country with the most self-employed people in the U.S., according to the Dallas Regional Chamber. While the cost of living here is well under such pricey cities as San Francisco or New York, there’s no lack of cash flow in the region, with investors such as Mark Cuban and local venture capital firms like Dallas Venture Partners. That might have something to do with why 55 of the nation’s fastest-growing companies have chosen to call Dallas home.

7. San Francisco

If we compared tech hubs to companies themselves, San Francisco would be Google or Apple. It already has a mature tech scene, but there’s still no lack of innovation. Crescendo Bioscience, a diagnostics company that focuses on rheumatoid arthritis, is the fastest-growing firm in one of the most mature startup ecosystems on our list of 63 Inc. 5000 companies from the Bay Area.

6. Houston

The largest city in the South is brimming with young people. The median age is three years under the national average, and the college completion rate has surpassed the mean. Known for its booming energy sector, Houston has been trying to increase its economic diversity by supporting businesses in industries such as tech, medicine, and manufacturing. Fiberglass grating provider PPT Fiberglass made the top of our list of 76 fast-growing companies based in Houston.

5. San Diego

This southern California city is not only known for its beautiful coastline, but it’s also quickly becoming a sought-after tech hub. Thanks to the dominance of the University of California’s San Diego-based medical center, the area turning into the next go-to place for biotech companies. San Diego is also home to giant chipmaker Qualcomm, among others. And with year-round beautiful weather, the city handily made our list as the hotspot for 81 fast-growing Inc. 5000 companies including Multifamily Utility, a utility billing firm, and photo-scanning service PhotoBin.

4. Austin

It’s no secret that Austin has a booming startup scene. Home to an ever replenishing talent pool out of the University of Texas, as well as big tech companies such as Dell, Austin secured this year’s fourth spot on our top 10 cities list, with 87 fastest-growing Inc. 5000 companies. And it’s no coincidence that it’s the third city in Texas that made our list. In addition to big hair, the state is well known for its business-friendly conditions, like being income tax-free.Simpler Trading, a financial trading training company, tops the list in Austin.

3. Atlanta

Business opportunities abound when you share a home base with some of the nation’s biggest companies. Coca-Cola, Home Depot, and UPS all call Atlanta home. Besides gaining opportunities to provide products for these big companies, startups in Atlanta also benefit from a solid pool of tech talent from one of the nation’s best engineering schools, Georgia Tech, and the potential of press coverage from media giants such as CNN. Residential Capital Management, a property service company, leads Atlanta’s fast-growing companies on the Inc. 5000.

2. Chicago

The founders of successful companies such as PayPal and Yelp all studied at University of Illinois. Though they eventually headed west, Chicago would seem to be primed for its own startup influx. Just ask the 95 of the fastest-growing Inc. 5000 companies that call the Windy City home. Chicago’s growing startup scene centers largely around 1871, an incubator that’s expected to be home to 350 to 400 startups and venture capital firms by the end of this year. Plus, Mayor Rahm Emanuel has vowed to double the city's tech sector in the next decade, which gives the city hope to become the tech hub of the future.

1. New York

No matter how many new faces we have seen on this list over the last few years, the No.1 spot remains the same. As home to 205 of the fastest-growing companies on the Inc. 5000, the Big Apple’s tech scene is exploding. With startup accelerators like Techstars, investors such as Union Square Venture’s Fred Wilson, and a talent pool from world-renowned universities--Columbia, New York University and (most recently) Cornell--virtually every startup can have a shot in New York. Thanks to these resources, Centric Digital, a digital strategy consulting firm, and online marketing firm ReviMedia are this year’s fastest-growing companies in Silicon Alley.

Business as Usual? Fuggedaboutit! Meet the 10 Fastest-Growing Companies in New York City

Baseball tickets, first-class seats, outrageous events, and fancy lingerie: These companies have it all. And the Big Apple is embedded in their business DNA.Believe the hype: New York City is home to more of the fastest-growing companies than any other city in America. Two hundred and four of them, to be exact, made it onto the 2014 Inc. 5000.Let's zoom in on just the top 10 of those, which together form a fascinating and diverse portrait of modern commerce. Two are trying to take a bite out of Madison Avenue. Three are fresh spins on old hospitality industries. Two of these businesses would likely not exist without social media.These are New York's fastest-growing young companies. And they certainly do have an Empire State of mind.

10. SeatGeek

Inc. 500 rank: 121Three-year revenue growth: 3,039 percentFounders: Russ D'Souza (pictured above, at left) and Jack Groetzinger (at right)Year founded: 2009Employees: 36Business objective: "To make a better way to buy tickets," says D'Souza.Light bulb moment: "My co-founder and I really like going to shows, and there just wasn't the technology out there to find tickets, the way there is a Kayak or Orbitz for airline tickets," D'Souza says. SeatGeek, which is an Inc. 30 Under 30 alum, also does a tidy business in selling tickets to sporting events.Measuring success: "We've helped people find, and buy, more than $100 million in tickets this year," D'Souza says.Neighborhood: Union SquareWhy they ♥ NY: "We are in entertainment and sports, and many of our media publishing partners are here," D'Souza says. "Also, when we do interviews on Fox or CNN, the studio is just a quick cab ride away."

9. Integral Ad Science

Inc. 500 rank: 115Three-year revenue growth: 3,231 percentCEO: Scott KnollYear founded: 2009Employees: 127Stepping in: Knoll joined Integral Ad Science, a company that matches advertisers with desirable placement online, two years into its existence. "It was a really big opportunity to add value for advertisers by using the company's existing technology to see what makes the biggest impact for them," Knoll says.Building culture: "We do team exercises once a quarter," Knoll says. "Teams must do something unrelated to work, like volunteer or complete a scavenger hunt. Then they are judged." Recently, Vanilla Ice was a surprise judge.Neighborhood: Union Square, which is pictured above. (IAS is moving to the West Village this year.)Why they ♥ NY: "First of all, this is where the largest marketing budgets are," Knoll says. He also says New York is a rich talent hub for engineers and data scientists, with nearby Princeton University and New York University graduating new young experts each fall. And even for recruiting long distance, "It's not too hard to convince someone to move to the heart of New York," says Knoll. "It's great for recruiting."

8. Global Energy Efficiency

Inc. 500 rank: 99Three-year revenue growth: 3,588 percentFounders: Maximo Centeno, Johnny Jaar (deceased), Lissette Reynoso, and Vladimir ReynosoYear founded: 2009Employees: 120Business objective: "Supermarkets use more energy per square foot than any other retail business," says Vladimir Reynoso. "Our first project, we saved a supermarket $100,000 in a year." The supersimple concept--adding nighttime covers for refrigerator cases, replacing lights with LEDs, and switching out ancient fan motors for efficient models--took off. The company has completed 3,000 energy overhauls over the past five years. Above, a group of employees is pictured volunteering at a community garden on Earth Day.Fun fact: Each of the four founders is of Dominican descent.Bonus fact: The founders hired their first employee through LinkedIn. Now that hire is on the executive team.Neighborhood: The BronxWhy they ♥ NY: "About 60 percent of our employees are based in the Bronx, so it's convenient," says Reynoso. "We do business in all five boroughs, Connecticut, and New Jersey--and our location gives us easy access via highway to everywhere in the region."

7. BuyBackWorld

Inc. 500 rank: 84Three-year revenue growth: 4,011 percentFounders: Andreas Leptourgos and Steven FrancessYear founded: 2009Employees: 12Light bulb moment: "We were both working in finance in New York City when we realized, for selling used electronics, eBay and Craigslist don't make any sense," Leptourgos says. "To use them, you have to, like, meet a stranger in a parking lot. If you're into meeting someone in a parking lot, by all means, go for it. But we didn't want to."Humble beginnings: Both founders moved back into their parents' homes, at ages 24 and 25, in order to afford their first office for BuyBackWorld, which purchased used phones and other electronics from consumers and resold them. "It was a little bit of swallowing the pride," Leptourgos says.Finding success: The company now buys and sells through its website, which offers free shipping both ways on 10,000 electronics. It booked more than $4 million in revenue in 2013.Neighborhood: Long Island City, Queens (pictured above)Why they ♥ NY: Both founders are New York natives who love Queens, owing to its central location, reasonable real estate prices, and the simple fact they do a lot of shipping and receiving. "You can't have mail trucks coming in and out of Manhattan; it would be a mess," Leptourgos says.

6. Regal Wings

Inc. 500 rank: 76Three-year revenue growth: 4,146 percentFounder: Eli Ostreicher (pictured at left)Year founded: 2006Employees: 132Humble beginnings: "I was 22 years old at the time, I lived in Miami, and it started from my bedroom, and my first client was my uncle," says Ostreicher of his now-booming luxury travel business. "Slowly, word got around."Claim to fame: Customers include Rolex, Berkshire Hathaway, and the band Maroon 5.Secret to success: "I kept pumping the concept of service, personal touch, 'I will always be there for you,' at a time when so many travel companies were going digital and distant," says Ostreicher.Neighborhood: Borough Park, BrooklynWhy they ♥ NY: "The truth is, New York comes with perks that no other city in the world has," Ostreicher says. "It's a city where, if you really have your goal set on something, nothing is unreachable. If you live by a theme of 'not taking no for an answer'--which is sort of my motto--then New York City is your platform."

5. Tough Mudder

Inc. 500 rank: 65Three-year revenue growth: 4,737 percentFounder: Will DeanYear founded: 2009Employees: 143The game plan: Dean drew up plans for Tough Mudder while attending Harvard Business School, and started bootstrapping the event company, which hosts extreme runs through inventive--and curse-inducing--obstacles, upon graduation. With just $8,000, he marketed the first Tough Mudder event on Facebook. More than 4,500 people signed up, and a company was born. From there, "it went gangbusters," says Alex Patterson, Tough Mudder's vice president of brand. "It was totally a word-of-mouth thing."Operational guidelines: "We set goals way outside of what we logically can accomplish, and then break all our existing systems to get it done," says Patterson.Current status: Today, Tough Mudder hosts more than 60 events in seven countries.Neighborhood: Downtown BrooklynWhy they ♥ NY: The company started here, out of Dean's wife's (then girlfriend) apartment in Brooklyn Heights. Over the past five years, "it's really benefited us to have the vibrant talent in New York; it's a lot of young people growing their careers with us," Patterson says.

4. Crowdtap

Inc. 500 rank: 54Three-year revenue growth: 5,217 percentCEO: Sean FosterYear founded: 2009Employees: 66Spinoff: Crowdtap, which created a social-marketing platform, was founded by Brandon Evans and Kareem Kouddous inside the youth-and-campus marketing agency MRY. It spun out on its own and took an infusion of venture capital funding in 2011.The mission: Get social-media influencers to represent brands. "Younger generations are immune to traditional advertising in a sense," says Foster. "But they are natural content creators. As brands live in the hearts and minds of consumers, it's important to inspire consumers to become storytellers for brands."Big clients: Walmart, Nestlé, and Campbell'sNeighborhood: NoHoWhy they ♥ NY: "Not only is it where a lot of our clients are--whether they are agencies or brands--but also, being downtown communicates this important image that we are innovative and doing big things," Foster says.

3. Adore Me

Inc. 500 rank: 49Three-year revenue growth: 5,505 percentFounder: Morgan Hermand-WaicheYear founded: 2010Employees: About 40Light bulb moment: "The birthday of my girlfriend was coming up, and I wanted to buy her some lingerie, and I couldn't find something as nice as I wanted in my budget," says Hermand-Waiche.Building a business: The Harvard Business School-educated McKinsey & Company veteran decided to hire a former Victoria's Secret designer and get to work. "Everything is sold on our website now," Hermand-Waiche says. "We shoot our phenomenal products on beautiful models. And shipping is free." Shown above are some of the company's products, on display and in design.Neighborhood: Fashion DistrictWhy they ♥ NY: "New York is the heart of everything in fashion," Hermand-Waiche says. "The building we are in is called the Fashion Building, and the avenue we are on is called Fashion Avenue. Could it be any better?"

2. ReviMedia

Inc. 500 rank: 41Three-year revenue growth: 5,817 percentFounders: Frans van Hulle and Sebastian OffersYear founded: 2010Employees: 22Starting up: "We started without a business plan, I would say," van Hulle says. "But we did have a relatively innovative concept in lead generation."How it works: The duo built their online lead-generation tool, which provided quiz-format interactivity to potential customers of the insurance, automotive, and home-security industries, into its own technology platform. Now, "the platform has taken on a life of its own," van Hulle says. It's the company's main revenue driver.Claim to fame: More than seven million leads generated for other businesses.Neighborhood: TribecaWhy they ♥ NY: "My business partner and I are both Dutch, but New York is in our DNA as a company," van Hulle says. "We are very attached to New York."

1. Centric Digital

Inc. 500 rank: 34Three-year revenue growth: 6,898 percentFounders: Jason Albanese (pictured above, at left) and Brian Manning (at right)Year founded: 2009Employees: 140Light bulb moment: "We saw a gap in business services: Traditional large companies that are not in the business of digital were not getting the services they need to become more digital," says Albanese.Building a business: Albanese, a serial entrepreneur, teamed up with Manning, a digital consultant who had spent years at the digital divisions of large companies, including CitiGroup and Barnes & Noble. "Digital is the tip of the spear in our consulting firm," Albanese says.Lean days: Centric spent its first two years working closely with just a couple of clients while bootstrapping and making meager revenue. "We went very deep with a couple of clients before spreading out among many," Albanese says. Still, the company didn't take outside funding while growing fast.Advice to startups: Stay focused. "One of the things we've done very well here is stay very focused," says Albanese. "A problem a lot of young companies face is they get distracted from what their business plan is. We said no to a lot of things early on. It felt scary, but it allowed us to stay focused."Neighborhood: FlatironWhy they ♥ NY: "Because we have a heavy client-services side to our business, and have clients based all over and outside the United States, we felt having a premium address--everyone has heard of Fifth Avenue!--helped," Albanese says.

Centric Digital Ranks #34 on 2014 Inc. 500 with 6898% Three-Year Revenue Growth

New York, NY, August 20, 2014: Centric Digital (www.centricdigital.com), a digital transformation company that helps traditional businesses grow in an increasingly digital society, today announced that it was named by Inc. Magazine as the #34 fastest-growing private company in America on the 2014 Inc. 500. In addition, Centric Digital ranked on several other Inc. fastest-growing private company lists: #4 Business Products & Services Companies, #1 New York Companies and #2 in New York City Metro Area Companies.“We are thrilled to be recognized by Inc. Magazine for the growth that Centric Digital has achieved in the last three years,” said Jason Albanese, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Centric Digital. “Our team works tirelessly to transform traditional businesses into digital leaders, and this recognition by Inc. Magazine is a testament to our proven capabilities and the satisfaction of our growing number of clients. The rapid growth of Centric Digital highlights how core digital has become to the boardroom agenda and C-suite executives at traditional companies,”“We’re still in the early stages of the digital industrial revolution in which every company risks disruption from digital upstarts and pure-plays”, says Brian Manning, Co-Founder, President and Chief Operating Officer of Centric Digital. “Traditional companies must reshape their business models and customer experiences to remain competitive against more nimble digital rivals. We expect Centric Digital’s success to accelerate as more enterprises seek help to stay ahead of trends and prepare for an increasingly digital society.”

Inc. 500 Methodology

Companies on the Inc. 500 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth over a four-year period. To qualify, companies much have been founded and generated revenue by the first week of the starting calendar year, and therefore able to show four full calendar years of sales. Additionally, they have to be US-based privately held and independent. Revenue in the initial year must have been at least $200,000 and revenue in the most recent year must have been at least $2 million. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.'s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000/list/2014.

About Centric Digital

Founded in New York City in 2009, Centric Digital is a digital transformation company that reshapes business models and customer experiences to help traditional businesses grow in an increasingly digital society. A new breed of strategic partner for global enterprises, Centric Digital fuses management consulting rigor, digital acumen and startup creativity to raise the bar in digital services. The company has successfully created innovative business strategies, realigned roadmaps to corporate objectives and delivered innovative digital and mobile experiences to enterprises globally. Centric Digital solutions help enterprises understand trends and benchmark their digital capabilities against best practices, competitors and industries. Its clients include members of the Fortune 500, private equity firms, government entities, non-profits, start-ups and high-profile public figures. For more information, visit www.centricdigital.comMedia ContactJonathan LeibowitzCommunications ManagerKARV Communications212-333-0275jhl@karvcommunications.com

How This Entrepreneur Perfected the Craft of 'Very Professional Aggression'

Editor's Note: This article is part of a series that looks at the top 10 traits exemplified by Inc. 500 entrepreneurs. Gallup says confident entrepreneurs know themselves, present themselves effectively, take initiative, and have conviction in their ability to build businesses.Jason Albanese never doubted his ability to start and expand a company. In his family, doing so was something of a tradition. Albanese grew up around a 70-year-old family business, started by his maternal grandfather and later helmed by his father. His uncle, too, launched and ran a growth company."I was raised to be fearless," says Albanese, entrepreneur and founder and CEO of Centric Digital, a digital strategy and management consulting company in New York City. "My grandfather used to sit me down and say to me, 'Jason, the world is your oyster, and you can make of it what you want.' Looking at my family, I thought, 'I can do this.' "But Albanese wasn't cocky. He knew he needed a solid intellectual base for his pursuits. So he studied economics, analytics, statistics, and technology. He also read every book he could find about great entrepreneurs.Just a year out of college, at age 23, Albanese started his first business, dispensing technology advice to midsize and large companies. Among his early clients were Toys "R" Us and Kids "R" Us. Albanese acknowledges the precocity of selling his expertise to companies that, not much more than a decade earlier, would have considered him a target customer. "I had a genuine understanding of technology," he says. "That gave me the blind nerve to go into these places and say, 'I can help you.' "Albanese refers to his personal style as "very professional aggression." He is resolute when disagreeing with customers about what is necessary. "We have to sit down with them and be slightly professionally confrontational and say, 'If you go down this road, it is going to be harmful for your business.' We are so confident about it that we are going to tell you that to your face, even if it can be off-putting to a few individuals," says Albanese.It's been two years since Albanese engaged in servicing clients; these days he oversees Centric Digitals's vision and strategy. "My passion is scaling an organization, and my ambition is to have a business that runs without my working there every day," he says.

New York dominates Inc. 5000 fastest-growing companies list

Four New York-area companies cracked the top 50 of the Inc. 5000 list, and 295 companies in the city made the list, leading the way among all cities.The Inc. 5000 list is billed as a comprehensive look at the fastest-growing privately-held companies in the United States. Pacing the New York area is Axtria, at No. 32 overall, which Inc. described as a data analytics and software products company, based in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. Over the past three years, Inc. said, the company has experiences 7,351 percent growth, bringing in $8.9 million in revenue last year.The other top-ranking New York City companies are Centric Digital, No. 34, which Inc. said works in digital management consultation; ReviMedia, No. 41, a lead-generation software company; and Adore Me, No. 49, an online lingerie retailer.New York’s 295 companies on the list far outstripped the city with the next-most, Chicago, which the Chicago Tribune noted had 95 companies on the full list.The other New York companies in the Top 200 are:

• No. 54 Crowdtap
• No. 65 Tough Mudder
• No. 76 Regal Wings
• No. 85 BuyBackWorld
• No. 99 Global Energy Efficiency
• No. 115 Integral Ad Science
• No. 121 SeatGeek
• No. 128 Fueled
• No. 130 CPA Trend
• No. 145 MyClean