Six companies in the Wichita area have earned a spot on the latest Inc. 5000 list, an annual ranking of America's 5,000 fastest-growing, privately held companies based on percentage revenue growth from 2017 to 2020.
Five are repeat honorees this year — Occidental Management, Farha Roofing, All Things Barbecue, Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, and Profit Builders — and one is a newcomer to the list.
Russell Marine Products, based in El Dorado, made its first appearance on the list this year and actually ranked the highest among the six at No. 1,254 with 383% revenue growth. The company was founded in 2013 and offers fishing and marine electronics and accessories — an industry that's been boosted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Occidental Management leapt 813 spots on the 2021 list, landing at No. 1,356 with 342% in revenue growth. This is the highest rank Occidental has achieved out of the eight years its appeared on the Inc. list.
“Our business has evolved in many ways over the past few years with the acquisition and development in some fantastic, value-add projects in the Wichita and Overland Park communities,” said Gary Oborny, Occidental chairman and CEO, in a news release. “We are proud of the work we’ve done to renovate community-favorite venues like the Historic Union Station in downtown Wichita, Aspiria in Overland Park, and shopping centers like Tyler Pointe that help local businesses reach their customers in exciting and innovative ways.”
Farha Roofing finished at No. 2,725 with 148% in three-year growth — up from No. 3,812 in 2020.
All Things Barbecue, a local retailer of barbecue equipment and accessories, has now appeared on the Inc. 5000 six times, this year landing at No. 3,423 with a 102% increase in revenues between 2017 and 2020.
Freddy's, the Wichita-based franchise with 400 locations nationwide, has ranked on the Inc. list since 2012. It's No. 4,578 on this year's list — up 240 spots year over year — with a 57% revenue growth.
Lastly, Profit Builders finished 4,925th on the ranking with a 42% increase in revenues. The company, which provides outsourced accounting and payroll solutions, also made the list in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
In total, the six Wichita companies brought in $783.8 million in revenue, with a median growth of 125%.
In his Accelerate Wichita report published in June, Tom Chapman, an Omaha consultant hired to strategize growth for Wichita's entrepreneurial ecosystem, explained the importance of a city's representation on the prestigious Inc. 5000 list. Wichita's peer communities average around 13 or 14 companies a year, he noted, whereas Wichita had four in 2020 and two in 2019. This year's ranking shows another slow uptick.
The 39 Kansas companies that ranked on the Inc. list, meanwhile, totaled $1.8 billion in 2021 revenues — up from $1.6 billion in 2020 and $1.2 billion in 2019. Those 39 companies have added more than 5,660 jobs so far this year, which is 1,340 fewer than were added this time a year ago.
Ranking highest among the 39 Kansas companies is the Overland Park-based Hardbody Supplements, a minority- and woman-owned brand of organic supplements. It ranked eighth out of 5,000 on Inc.'s list.
