This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Molding Box, a 16-employee printing, shipping and mass-duplication company in Draper, had a great year despite Utah and the nation going through the Great Recession.
And so did financial firm Funding Universe, based in South Jordan, and Sugar House-based Davinci Virtual Office Solutions.
Those three, along with 11 other Utah companies, are among the Top 500, an Inc. magazine list of the nation's fastest-growing companies for 2010 by revenue.
The magazine also names the 5,000 fastest-growing firms in the nation that together generate $322 billion in revenue. In all, 81 Utah businesses were on the more extensive list.
Funding Universe was the highest-placed Utah firm at No. 34. Molding Box came in at No. 71, and Davinci Virtual Office Solutions ranked 141. At No. 500 was Orem-based AtTask, a project and portfolio-management firm.
Jordan Guernsey, owner of Molding Box, said his company's success can be pegged directly to its customer service.
"We take care of our people. We actually answer our phones," he said. "We actively consult with our clients" to figure out the best way for them to use Molding Box services.
The company, formed in 2005, also cut overhead last year to keep its bottom line strong. It started 2009 with 48 workers and ended the year with its current work force of 16, Guernsey said. The firm goes after major printing jobs, mass produces CDs and DVDs and handles shipping for firms that are too small to do it themselves or prefer to outsource such tasks.
Davinci, meanwhile, is the kind of company that can survive a downturn in the economy because it can take over services many companies would like to eliminate in order to stay in business.
"People are looking to reduce overhead," said Bill Grodnik, president and CEO. His firm provides office space, meeting rooms and "very high-end" reception service all across the nation, he said.
"Many of these [clients] are road warriors or have great home offices, so virtual offices" — a place to meet clients in a business setting and receive mail at a prestigious address — "is the way to go."
For example, Grodnik said a Utah business person who works out of the home may need to have a meeting in New York City. A meeting room in the Empire State Building can be arranged, along with a New York business address in that building where mail can be received and then forwarded to the Utah client, and a Manhattan telephone number that rings at the Sugar House service center. That call would be answered by a receptionist who then would forward it to Davinci's client, wherever he or she may be.
"Our business takes advantage of the [economic] downturn," Grodnik said. "It's a timely business."
Utah companies on Inc.'s Top 500 % Revenue growth Total Revenue
34 FundingUniverse 6,034% $6.5 million
71 Molding Box 3,384% $7.6 million
100 SwarmBuilder 2,481% $10.8 million
137 NetSteps 1,942% $5.1 million
138 Uppercase Living 1,919% $21.4 million
141 Davinci Virtual Office Solutions 1,900% $5.5 million
156 Real Property Management 1,780% $4 million
171 AvantLink.com 1,651% $3.3 million
256 Skullcandy 1,207% $124.7 million
348 Property Solutions 843% $6.9 million
366 Neutron Interactive 812% $9.5 million
408 SecurityMetrics 725% $18.9 million
465 BidSync 645% $4 million
500 AtTask 604% $19 million
To see the full Top 500/5000 list, go to http://bit.ly/df22LE
Source: Inc. magazine