Press Room Item
Lambert, Edwards & Associates Named to Inc. 5000 List of Fastest Growing Companies in America
19 August 09
GRAND RAPIDS and TROY, Mich., August 19, 2009 – Lambert, Edwards & Associates (LE&A), a leading Michigan-based public relations and investor relations firm, today announced it has been ranked number 4,070 by Inc. magazine for its third annual Inc. 5000 list. LE&A was named to the list of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies after a growth rate of 48.1 percent over the past three years.
The Inc. 5000, an extension of Inc. magazine’s annual Inc. 500 list, is the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy – America’s independent-minded entrepreneurs. Taken as a whole, these companies represent the backbone of the U.S. economy.
“We are honored and excited to be recognized as one of the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in America,” said Jeff Lambert, president and managing partner of Lambert, Edwards & Associates. “LE&A’s ability to acquire new clients and expand our existing client relationships stems directly from our focus on talent and building a great team and has resulted in 10 straight years of growth. Our recent acquisition, increasing our revenue by 50 percent, continues this momentum and gives us offices in the top three metro markets in Michigan – Grand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit – as well as five practice areas in Automotive, Consumer, Financial Communications and Health Care & Technology and Public Affairs.”
LE&A announced earlier this month the acquisition of leading public relations and public affairs agency John Bailey & Associates.
The 2009 Inc. 5000 serves as a unique report card on the U.S. economy. Despite the ongoing recession, aggregate revenue among the companies on the list actually increased to $214 billion, up $29 billion from last year. The Inc. 5000 are responsible for creating more than one million jobs since their founding, making the list perhaps the best example of the impact private, fast-growing companies can have on the economy. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found on at www.inc.com.
“Savvy trend spotters and those who invest in private companies know that the Inc. 5000 is the best place to find out about young companies that are achieving success through a wide variety of unprecedented business models, as well as older private companies that are still expanding at an impressive rate,” said Inc. 5000 project manager Jim Melloan. “That’s why our list is so eagerly anticipated every year.”
The Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2005 through 2008. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by the first week of 2005, and therefore able to show four full calendar years of sales. Additionally, they have to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent – not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies – as of December 31, 2008. Revenue in 2005 must have been at least $200,000, and revenue in 2008 must have been at least $2 million. The top 10 percent of companies on the list comprise the Inc. 500, now in its 28th year.
About Inc. Magazine Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures LLC, Inc. (www.inc.com) is the only major business magazine dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies that delivers real solutions for today’s innovative company builders. With a total paid circulation of 712,961, Inc. provides hands-on tools and market-tested strategies for managing people, finances, sales, marketing, and technology. Visit Inc magazine online at Inc.com.
About Lambert, Edwards & Associates LE&A (www.lambert-edwards.com) is a top-10 Midwest-based PR firm and a top-20 investor relations firm nationally with more than 100 clients based in 20 states and five countries. As Michigan’s only statewide firm – with offices in Grand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit – LE&A serves middle-market companies and national brands in five practice areas: Automotive, Consumer, Financial Communications, Health Care & Technology and Public Affairs. LE&A has posted 10 consecutive years of growth and earned three Silver Anvil awards – the profession’s highest honor – in the past three years.
