Fifty Leading Women Entrepreneurs Honored for Their Companies' Rapid and Thriving Growth

BALTIMORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Women Presidents' Organization (WPO), in partnership with American Express AXP, today released the ninth annual ranking of the 50 Fastest-Growing Women-Owned/Led Companies. The 50 Fastest generated a combined $4.96 billion in 2015 revenues (mean of $99.2 million) and collectively employed 44,744 in 2015 (mean of 1,028). The top three honorees are:

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• S'well, a New York City-based beverage bottle manufacturer, is the fastest growing women-owned business and newcomer to this year's ranking. Over the past two years, the firm's revenue ($2,517,155 in 2013 to $47,245,079 in 2015) and employment (3 employees in 2013 to 40 in 2015) skyrocketed. Sarah Kauss, chief executive officer, who owns 100% of the firm, attributes business success to a sheer dedication to her company, hard work and belief in the product and the brand.
• Pinnacle Group, an IT workforce solutions firm based in Dallas, moves down to #2 from holding the top spot in 2015. Nina Vaca, president and chief executive officer, saw her 20-year-old company break the billion dollar barrier ($1,159,815,799 in 2015, up from $201,493,192 in 2013). The entrepreneur, who still owns 100% of the firm she founded at age 24 with $300 of startup capital, accredits "putting people first" as her number one strategy for her company's Texas-sized growth.
• Fitness studio franchise Orangetheory Fitness, another newcomer to the list, is the third fastest-growing company. The six-year-old Fort Lauderdale, FL-based firm, led by Ellen Latham, saw its revenue escalate from $3,147,199 in 2013 to $47,537,711 in 2015 and added 56 employees during that time span.

"This year's 50 Fastest list represents our most diverse ranking ever, with an immense geographic reach covering 20 states and one international winner in Turkey, as well as industries ranging from energy efficiency services to cybersecurity and engineering," said Marsha Firestone, Ph. D., president and founder of the WPO. "We are once again so very pleased to partner with American Express in paying tribute to these influential women and recognizing the vital role that women-owned/led companies have in boosting the economy and enhancing overall job growth."

"According to our recent State of Women-Owned Businesses report, the number of women-owned firms grew at a rate of five times faster than the national average since the recession," said Susan Sobbott, president, Global Commercial Payments, American Express. "We are thrilled to showcase the successes of these fifty honorees in order to inspire other women to build high-growth businesses."

Each of the honored business owners will be offered a congratulatory prize from American Express.

Applicants do not have to be WPO members. All eligible companies were ranked according to a sales growth formula that combines percentage and absolute growth. From this list, the 50 Fastest were selected. To be qualified for the ranking, businesses are required to be privately held, woman-owned/led companies and have reached revenue of at least $500,000 by the first week of 2011 and $2 million in 2015.

More about the 2016 50 Fastest:

• Average Age: 49
• CEOs that founded the business: 92%
• Listed companies that do business globally: 44%
• Provide health insurance: 92%
• Plan to continue to grow their company: 90%
• State hiring the best talent as their biggest business challenge: 44%

All 50 companies will be honored at a special event hosted by American Express at the 2016 WPO Annual Conference in Baltimore, Maryland on Friday, April 8, 2016. The dinner and awards ceremony will take place from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront.

Each attendee of the WPO conference will receive a new handbook, 50 Fastest Women-Owned/Led Companies Guide to Growth, sponsored by American Express. It includes past honorees' tips to achieve rapid company growth and focuses on five areas that change significantly when a business scales: HR, branding, financing, sales, and innovation.

The 2016 50 Fastest-Growing Women-Owned/Led Companies Include:

			Entrepreneur Name			Company Name			City, State/Province/Country
1			Sarah Kauss			S'well			New York, NY
2			Nina Vaca			Pinnacle Group			Dallas, TX
3			Ellen Latham			Orangetheory Fitness			Fort Lauderdale, FL
4			Dr. Rebecca Thomley			Morning Star Financial Services			Golden Valley, MN
5			Kristi Alford			E2 Optics			Englewood, CO
6			Britnie Turner Founder			Aerial Development Group			Nashville, TN
7			Therese Tucker			BlackLine			Woodland Hills, CA
8			Kristina Roth			Matisia Consultants			Seattle, WA
9			Shelly Sun			BrightStar Franchising LLC			Gurnee, IL
10			Lacy Starling			Legion Logistics, LLC			Florence, KY
11			Kay Ivie			Ivie & Associates, Inc.			Flower Mound, TX
12			Claudia Mirza			Akorbi			Plano, TX
13			Zeynep Erkunt Armagan			Erkunt Tractor Industries, Inc.			Ankara, Turkey
14			Staci L. Redmon			Strategy and Management Services, Inc.			Springfield, VA
15			Liz Elting			TransPerfect			New York, NY
16			Phyllis Newhouse			Xtreme Solutions Inc.			Atlanta, GA
17			Victoria L. Vasques			Tribal Tech, LLC			Alexandria, VA
18			Rebecca Cenni			Atrium Staffing			New York, NY
19			Stephanie Point			Point 2 Point Global Security, Inc.			Addison, TX
20			Jamila Stanford			NuGate Group, LLC			San Jose, CA
21			Ronia Kruse			OpTech, LLC			Troy, MI
22			Kara Trott			Quantum Health			Columbus, OH
23			Michelle Baker			Swoon Group LLC			Chicago, IL
24			Denise Legg			MegaCorp Logistics			Wilmington, NC
25			Christina Seelye			Maximum Games			Walnut Creek, CA
26			Nancy Stango			Blink Reaction dba FFW			Princeton, NJ
27			Paloma Bilson			Protea Group International			North Hollywood, CA
28			Veronica Edwards			InGenesis, Inc.			San Antonio, TX
29			Diane Astley			Xclusive Staffing			Westminster, CO
30			Shavila Singh			Zero Waste Solutions, Inc.			Concord, CA
31			Dee Hays			Excellence Engineering, LLC			Tulsa, OK
32			Molly Gimmel			Design To Delivery Inc.			Bethesda, MD
33			Britt Whitfield			The Revel Group			Chicago, IL
34			Kathy Benson			ORI			Herndon, VA
35			Pamela O'Rourke			ICON Information Consultants, LP			Houston, TX
36			Lily Sarafan			Home Care Assistance			Palo Alto, CA
37			Marilyn Grabowski			Atlantic Infra			Wall, NJ
38			Tana Greene			The Greene Group			Davidson, NC
39			Anita Emoff			Boost Technologies dba Boost Rewards			Dayton, OH
40			Anjali "Ann" Ramakumaran			Ampcus Inc.			Chantilly, VA
41			Mary Kariotis			Merrimak Capital Company			Novato, CA
42			Susan Frech			Social Media Link			New York, NY
43			Cordia Harrington			The Bakery Cos.			Nashville TN
44			Amy Dresser			J Curve			Atlanta, GA
45			Mary Ellen Franz			Imagine Technology Group			Chandler, AZ
46			Natalie Davis-Runyan			Anserteam Workforce Solutions			Dallas, TX
47			Carla Walker-Miller			Walker-Miller Energy Services			Detroit, MI
48			Heather Sanderson			Overture Promotions			Vernon Hills, IL
49			Lenora Payne			Technology Group Solutions, LLC			Lenexa, KS
50			Debbie James			Vivere Health, LLC			Franklin, TN

About the Women Presidents' Organization (WPO)

The WPO is the ultimate affiliation for successful women entrepreneurs worldwide. In monthly meetings across the world, women from diverse industries invest time and energy in themselves and their businesses to drive their corporations to the next level. Local WPO chapters are coordinated by a professional facilitator and meet monthly to share business expertise and experience in a confidential setting. For more information, call 212-688-4114 or visit www.womenpresidentsorg.com. Follow WPO on Twitter (@womenpresidents) and like us on Facebook.

About American Express Global Commercial Payments

Through its Global Corporate Payments division, American Express offers a suite of B2B and T&E payment solutions that help organizations streamline processes and transform them into opportunities for savings, control and efficiency. American Express can help your organization increase working capital flexibility and strengthen relationships with suppliers. For more information, visit business.americanexpress.com/us/ and linkedin.com/company/american-express-global-corporate-payments.

About American Express

American Express is a global services company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at americanexpress.com and connect with us on facebook.com/americanexpress, foursquare.com/americanexpress, linkedin.com/company/american-express, twitter.com/americanexpress, and youtube.com/americanexpress.

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