Kentucky puts 40 companies on Inc. list

Business First of Louisville - 1:59 PM EDT Thursday, August 23, 2007

Inc. magazine is out with its annual list of the fastest-growing, privately held companies.

But this year, what was the Inc. 500 has been expanded to the Inc. 5,000. The companies are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2003 through 2006.

Forty Kentucky companies made the list of 5,000, but only two companies -- Hitcents in Bowling Green and CandyRific in Louisville -- made the traditional top 500. Hitcents, which ranked No. 191, builds Web sites and software, including self-checkout systems for retail stores. The company, started in 1999 while brothers Clinton (CEO) and Chris (president) Mills were in high school, now has 50 employees and five divisions. It had 1,099.8 percent revenue growth from 2003 through 2006. Its revenue last year was $3.1 million.

CandyRific, which ranked No. 322, designs and manufactures novelty items that are part toy and part candy. The company was started in 2001 by CEO Rob Auerbach, a former toy designer for Nerf. CandyRific's revenue hit $12.9 million last year and has grown 832.2 percent since 2003.

To see the full list of Kentucky companies that made the Inc. 5,000, go to www.inc.com/inc5000.