Business & Tech

Three Downers Grove Businesses Named Inc. Magazine's Fastest Growing Companies

American Dream Home Improvement, Velocity Merchant Services and RFB Holdings recently made the magazine's list of 5,000 fastest growing companies in the United States.

Three Downers Grove businesses recently gained national attention, joining the ranks of Inc. magazine's top 5,000 fastest growing U.S. companies.

American Dream Home ImprovementVelocity Merchant Services and RFB Holdings were all included in the 2013 list, which was released Tuesday.

The Inc. 5000 list of 2013's fastest growing companies includes 261 Illinois businesses employing more than 93,000 people. An eclectic array of industries made the list, from a media company for photographer moms and a suburban restaurant and winery chain to traditional insurance companies and construction firms.

One might think that Chicago-based firms would dominate the list — and 91 of the businesses call the city of broad shoulders home — but more than half are in the suburbs, with 19 in towns far downstate or well outside the metro area. The suburb with the most firms on the Inc. 5000 list is Schaumburg, with 13, followed by Oak Brook with 10 and Naperville with eight.

In the last three years, 22 of the companies experienced a growth rate over 1,000 percent.

Writes Inc. magazine:

Management author Hermann Simon calls companies like these hidden champions, because they deliver outstanding performance while operating "in the 'hinterland' of the value chain, supplying machinery, components, or processes that are no longer discernible in the final product or service." As such, they are the sinews of our economic physiology. But jobs are also created by the thousands of organizations that constitute the Inc. 5000's customers. ...

The National Center for the Middle Market describes companies such as those on the Inc. 5000 as "model links" in corporate supply chains. ... These businesses make and keep American companies competitive: Within their niches, they are as innovative and service oriented as the most beloved household names. But rather than strategize to build brands, they earn reputations simply by virtue of how well they do what they do. They grow reference by reference until every customer in their markets knows whom to call."

Here's the scoop on the three Downers Grove businesses that made the list this year:

No. 844: American Dream Home Improvement, 3040 Finley Road

Founded in 2007, American Dream Home Improvement is a construction company that "specializes in assessing and repairing storm damage to roofs, siding, and gutters caused by wind and hail," according to Inc.

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The company has posted a 530 percent growth in revenue in the past three years, increasing earnings from $5.2 million in 2009 to $32.8 million in 2012.

There are currently 160 employees, 155 of which have been added in the past three years, according to Inc.

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American Dream Home Improvement was ranked 25th in Inc.'s list of Top 100 Construction Companies, 41st in the Top 100 Illinois Companies and 37th in the Chicago Metro Area.

No. 4,955: Velocity Merchant Services, 3051 Oak Grove Road

Founded in 1998, Velocity "offers merchant services to individuals and organizations that complete credit and debit card transactions," according to Inc. It also helps businesses benefit from additional services, such as a business cash advance program, gift card incentives, loyalty cards and website development.

Velocity currently has 75 employees, and has added 33 jobs in the past three years. The company raised its annual revenue from $2.9 million in 2009 to $4 million in 2012, according to Inc.

The company was also featured in Inc. magazine's 2012 list of fastest growing companies. It was ranked 3,458th nationally.

No. 4,994: RFB Holdings, 2001 Butterfield Road (Esplanade at Locust Point)

RFB Holdings, founded in 2002, is a human resources company "sells franchises of Global Recruiters Network, a company that recruits professionals for management, technical, and executive positions," according to Inc.

The company raised its annual revenue from $5.3 million in 2009 to $7.2 million in 2012—a 35 percent increase. 

There are currently 27 employees.

RFB Holdings has been featured in Inc. magazine's fastest-growing companies list four times in the past seven years. It ranked 1,946th in 2007, 3,775th in 2008 and 4,294th in 2009.

See the full "2013 Inc. 5000" list here.


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