Valley Rubber recognized in Inc. magazine

By By Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
A Falkville industry that makes custom molded rubber products has been recognized as one of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies for the second consecutive year.
Valley Rubber LLC was one of 5,000 independently-owned businesses that made Inc. magazine’s annual list of the country’s fastest growing companies from 2005 through 2008. The list, a comprehensive look at the most important segment of the nation’s economy, was published last week.
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 million from last year, with a median three-year growth rate of 126 percent. The 5000 businesses listed were responsible for creating more than one million jobs since their founding, making them the best example of the impact private, fast-growing companies can have on the economy.
The list measured 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 Dec. 31, 2008. Revenue in 2005 must have been at least $200,000 and revenue in 2008 must have been at least $2 million.