The Charleston region’s presence on the annual Inc. 500|5000 list of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies, continues to grow in 2014 – topping out at 19 companies from Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties.

A diverse group of Charleston-area companies were included in the top 50 and top 10 for their respective industries, including:

• PureCars (#20 in Advertising/Marketing) – This web-based digital marketing company educates car-buying customers through sophisticated data algorithms.
• Escapada (#32 in Consumer Products) – A lifestyle brand that has taken its beach and resort wear global, this company’s designs are sold in more than 2,000 boutiques and resorts including the Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton.
• JEAR Logistics (#6 in Logistics/Transportation) – Providing third-party transportation of products throughout the continental U.S. and Canada, JEAR grew from a staff of three people to 22 people over the past three years.
• EventWorks (#28 in Business Products/Services) – A premier party-planning source and a one-stop place for event service and rental needs.

Nine local tech companies continue to skyrocket making a repeat appearance: Advantage Media Group, Blue Acorn, Cantey Technology, CodeLynx, eGroup, ISHPI, Omatic Software, SPARC, and TE21.

In addition, seven of the technology companies honored on the Inc. 5000 are members of the Charleston Digital Corridor (CDC), which supports local tech companies with key resources such as infrastructure, real estate, education, venture capital and workforce training. As the CDC points out, “The Inc. 500 | 5,000 rankings add to a growing list of significant milestones in Charleston’s knowledge economy this year.”

In January, The Milken Institute ranked Charleston 5th in the U.S. for high-tech industry output over the past five years, and 11th for economic growth.

Overall, Charleston companies accounted for 19 of the 55 South Carolina companies on this
year’s Inc. 5000 list. Other Charleston-area companies on the 2014 Inc. 5000 include: The Cassina Group, Lodging Source, Novus Architects, PhishLabs, Stasmayer, and 360Clean.

We can’t wait to see what develops in 2015.