NEW YORK CITY — Seven Utah businesses rank among the nation's top 500 fastest-growing private companies this year, according to Inc. magazine.
The rankings appeared in the publication's Inc. 500|5000 list, released last week, which included nearly 80 more Utah-based companies in its top 5,000.
VIP International was the highest-ranked Utah business, coming in at No. 115 overall and No. 12 in consumer products and services. The garden decor importer and wholesaler headquartered in Lehi has grown 2,364 percent over the last three years.
Though it sells nonessential products in a struggling economy, VIP International has succeeded and grown largely by revamping its products and their design, and by finding the right price points for its merchandise, said company president Mark Tuttle.
"Nothing we sell is actually a necessity of life," he said. "We have the right products at the right prices and it just seems to work."
Since its inception as a three-person operation in 2006, VIP International has branched out into retail, operating multiple stores in Utah and Nevada, and acquired another company.
"We're still growing every year," Tuttle said. "Our future is bright and we're plugging along."
While this was VIP International's first time making the list, Layton's Real Property Management, Lendio of South Jordan and Salt Lake City's Neutron Interactive made the top 500 for the second year in a row.
“Being named to the list two years in a row is extremely satisfying," Lendio CEO Brock Blake said in a press release. "There are a lot of great companies around the country mentioned in the list this year; it’s an honor to be part of it."
Formerly known as FundingUniverse, Lendio is a finance company that helps small businesses find funding. The company recently rolled out a technology that pairs small-business owners with lenders and loans, renamed itself and launched a new website.
“These are big changes that will help more businesses find the capital they need —capital that will help them hire more people and grow their business to have similar success as we’ve had in the last few years,” Blake said.
Several of Utah's Inc. 500 companies are among the fastest growing in their respective industries. In addition to VIP International, Real Property Management ranked No. 7 nationally in real estate, IntegraCore was No. 9 in logistics and transportation and Lendio came in at No. 19 in financial services.
All the companies on the Inc. 500|5000 list were ranked according to their percentage revenue growth over the last three years. To qualify, companies had to be U.S.-based, for-profit, independent and privately owned as of Dec. 31, 2010.
Here is the list of Utah companies on Inc. magazine's top 5,000 list:
115. VIP International, Lehi
257. Real Property Management, Layton
309. Lendio, South Jordan
313. Neutron Interactive, Salt Lake City
360. OrangeSoda, American Fork
458. One on One Marketing, Lehi
466. IntegraCore, West Jordan
586. Property Solutions, Provo
639. DigiCert, Lindon
795. BidSync, American Fork
860. AvantLink.com Park City
870. Skullcandy, Park City
880. eGlobal, Kaysville
894. NetSteps, Pleasant Grove
937. Jakob Marketing Partners, Holladay
938. Molding Box, Draper
972. Imagine Learning, Provo
1052. BodyGuardz, Bluffdale
1092. MediaFORGE, Salt Lake City
1116. Oh My Crafts, Alpine
1172. DataMetrix, Salt Lake City
1286. Clearlink, Salt Lake City
1399. Blade HQ, Lehi
1463. Smile Reminder, Lehi
1489. Simply Mac, Salt Lake City
1497. Grant Victor, Kaysville
1557. AtTask, Orem
1631. Acumen Learning, Orem
1672. SolutionStream, Lehi
1708. Aribex, Orem
1910. Alliance Health Networks, Salt Lake City
1911. Costa Vida Fresh Mexican Grill, Bountiful
1919. New Dawn Technologies, Logan
1945. Veracity Networks, Provo
1996. AdvancedMD Software, South Jordan
2120. Airgun Depot, Draper
2234. ATMequipment.com, Kaysville
2406. Red Iguana, Salt Lake City
2431. Wasatch Software, Salt Lake City
2518. Deseret Biologicals, Sandy
2522. Logica, Salt Lake City
2559. Mindshare Technologies, Salt Lake City
2644. Control4, Salt Lake City
2702. Access Technology Solutions, Provo
2716. Costume Craze, Pleasant Grove
2719. Hycomp, Hyde Park
2747. Conservice, Logan
2845. AT HOME PERSONAL CARE, Salt Lake City
2849. Action Target, Provo
2991. SwipeClock, South Jordan
3165. ASAP Printing, Salt Lake City
3194. MasterControl, Salt Lake City
3196. Fringe Media, Salt Lake City
3221. Stake Center Locating, Salt Lake City
3248. VPI Engineering, Draper
3283. Fishbowl Inventory, Orem
3286. Veracity Solutions, Salt Lake City
3318. Namifiers, Springville
3425. VitalSmarts, Provo
3429. England Logistics, Salt Lake City
3509. Classic Aviation, Woods Cross
3548. U.S. Translation, South Ogden
3560. Digital Financial Group, Salt Lake City
3655. Candle Warmers Etc., Layton
3702. Inthinc, Salt Lake City
3709. Career Step, Provo
3736. Fibernet Corp., Orem
3833. Young Living Essential Oils, Lehi
3889. DishOne Satellite, Provo
3962. MediConnect Global, South Jordan
4029. Digital Gateway, Provo
4054. Del Sol, Sandy
4242. Innovative Staffing, South Jordan
4267. Opinionology, Orem
4443. The Presidio Group, Salt Lake City
4582. Truenorthlogic Sandy
4588. Petersen, Ogden
4648. Western Petroleum, Vernal
4749. SnugZ USA, Salt Lake City
4806. ThomasArts, Farmington
4829. ChartLogic, Salt Lake City
4925. Spillman Technologies, Salt Lake City
4943. Spring Mobile, Salt Lake City
4981. Spring Works Utah, Woods Cross
Justin Ritter is a freelance journalist from Springville, Utah.