Twelve lighting firms make Inc. magazine’s list of fastest-growing private companies (Updated)

Inc. magazine has released its 31st annual list of fastest growing private companies for 2012. This is a voluntary list in that companies can apply for themselves and must have been founded by and began generating revenue by March 31, 2008, have reported revenues of at least $100,000 in 2008 and at least $2 million in 2011. The companies are ranked by highest 3-year simple growth rate from 2008-2011.

Interestingly, we found 12 companies on the Inc. 5000 list that play in the energy-efficient lighting space in one capacity or another – whether that is as a provider of lighting retrofit solutions like Macro Energy of Montgomeryville, PA (ranked #380), or as a manufacturer of LED lighting for boats, docks and other marine applications like Lumitec Lighting based in Delray Beach, FL (ranked #399). Macro Energy was founded in 2008 had 2011 revenues of $2.9 million, while Lumitec was founded in 2007 and had 2011 revenues of $3.4 million.

Indeed, many of the companies on Inc.’s 500|5000 list were founded in or had just begun to build their revenue base in 2008 when the worst economic recession since the Great Depression hit. It is a testament to the management of these companies that they were able to obtain strong growth through a trying period from 2008 through 2011.

MSi SSL is a manufacturer of LED lighting lamps for miners' caps that ranked #401 on Inc.’s list. The lamps are bright, lightweight and energy efficient, and offer a 50,000-hr LED replacement for a 2000-hr incandescent lamp. The company, based in Deerfield Beach, FL was founded in 2004 and had 2011 revenues of $14.8 million.

EarthLED, based in Golden, CO is an online distributor of LED lighting products including a wide variety of replacement lamps, LED troffers and recessed fixtures. The company was ranked #435 by Inc., was founded in 2007 and reported 2011 revenue of $2.9 million. Vision X Lighting is a manufacturer of LED, halogen and high-intensity discharge (HID) lighting products used in heavy-duty vehicles in the commercial, marine, automotive, mining and off-road markets. Based in Algona, WA, Vision X was ranked #503 by Inc., was founded in 1997 and reported 2011 revenues of $19.7 million.

Albeo Technologies, based in Boulder, CO is a manufacturer of industrial and commercial LED lighting systems, which typically replace fluorescent and HID lighting. Albeo is ranked #586 by Inc., was founded in 2004 and had 2011 revenues of $10.6 million. Albeo was also listed on the 2011 Inc. fastest growing list of companies, at #447. Bridgelux, based in Fremont, CA manufactures LED components. It, too, was featured on the Inc. list in both 2011 (#751) and 2012 (#842). Bridgelux had 2011 revenues of $60.2 million.

Bulb America is an online retailer of light bulbs and lighting fixtures including fluorescent, HID, LED and incandescent options. It was ranked #880 on Inc.’s list, was founded in 2003 and had 2011 revenues of $4.2 million. A representative of BulbAmerica.com stated, “To be included in the list of the fastest growing companies in the country is a great honor. Since day one, our goal has been to earn the trust of our customers and offering top notch customer service by providing honest and upfront service during every interaction. The customer-centric, points-based rewards and loyalty program that we integrated with social media also helped them make the most of this program.”

U.S. LED, based in Houston, TX, manufactures and distributes LED products for signage, architectural, decorative, and general commercial use. Founded in 2001, U.S. LED had 2011 revenues of $42 million. U.S. LED climbed in its ranking to #886 in 2012 from its 2011 level of #1073.

Efficient Lighting Consultants of Newtown, CT works with local utility companies to maximize utility state and federal incentives as part of its lighting design and energy strategy service. Its 2011 revenues were $4.9 million. LED Source is an online supplier of LED lighting systems to architectural, retrofit and entertainment markets, based in Wellington, FL. It had 2011 revenues of $7.2 million, was ranked #2359 and also was listed by Inc. in 2011 at #1533. Finally, Norlux is an LED lighting system integrator that provides custom LED solutions and is based in Carol Stream, IL. Norlux made this Inc. list two years in row, at #3589 in 2011. The company provides LED packaging, optical design, electronic controls, power supplies, and thermal management for custom lighting projects. Its 2011 revenues were $10.7 million.

The Inc.5000 list represents a comprehensive look at an important segment of the economy —America’s independent entrepreneurs. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database can be found at http://www.inc.com/5000.