Arizona Fireplaces and the Inc. 5000 List
The world’s most trusted business-media brand, Inc., offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including web sites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Vision Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc.
Companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2017. They must be based in the United States, privately held, for-profit, and independent since December 31, 2020. The minimum revenue required for 2017 is $100,000; the minimum for 2020 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to three decimal places. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.’s September issue and represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000. You can discover these companies here.
On Tuesday, August 10, Inc. magazine revealed that Arizona Fireplaces placed number 3528 on the annual Inc. 5000 list. This distinguished list examines the most successful companies within the American economy’s most dynamic segment: independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000. “It’s exciting to know that an everyday normal family can grow a business in America and be on a list as prestigious as the Inc. 5000. It’s more of a testament to America than anything else. We are honored to be a part of this list and very proud of our team,” said Don Richardson, CEO of Arizona Fireplaces.
Not only have the companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but this year’s list also proved to be especially resilient and flexible given 2020’s unprecedented challenges. Among the 5,000, the average median three-year growth rate soared to 543 percent, and median revenue reached $11.1 million. Together, those companies added more than 610,000 jobs over the past three years.
When asked about the past year and the challenges COVID-19 presented, president of Arizona Fireplaces, Keith Richardson, replied, “Last March, as news about COVID-19 swept the country, there was a memorable moment I’ll never forget. It was the day we returned from the HPBA show in New Orleans. My Mom, Dad, Brother, and I had an emergency meeting on how we were going to handle the pandemic and what changes we were going to implement immediately. Walking out of that meeting, the level of uncertainty was high, but one thing was certain: we were not going to furlough anyone. At that time, our employee count was at 150. Today, there are 250+ employees and climbing.”
Keith further stated, “We used this opportunity to cross-train employees, streamline efficiencies, and not reduce inventory levels. We were catching up with processes and doubling down on efficiencies. An evolving trend that we began to recognize was the amount of people working from home, staying in, and cooking in their backyards. We hoped this would somehow translate into BBQ grill sales, but still had absolutely no idea what the months to come would bring us. We did know this: that our intention, initiative, investment in our people, and doubling down on inventory would fortify us in riding out the storm. It proved successful and for that we are very grateful.”
Companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2017. They must be based in the United States, privately held, for-profit, and independent since December 31, 2020. The minimum revenue required for 2017 is $100,000; the minimum for 2020 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to three decimal places. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.’s September issue and represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000. You can discover these companies here.
On Tuesday, August 10, Inc. magazine revealed that Arizona Fireplaces placed number 3528 on the annual Inc. 5000 list. This distinguished list examines the most successful companies within the American economy’s most dynamic segment: independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000. “It’s exciting to know that an everyday normal family can grow a business in America and be on a list as prestigious as the Inc. 5000. It’s more of a testament to America than anything else. We are honored to be a part of this list and very proud of our team,” said Don Richardson, CEO of Arizona Fireplaces.
Not only have the companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but this year’s list also proved to be especially resilient and flexible given 2020’s unprecedented challenges. Among the 5,000, the average median three-year growth rate soared to 543 percent, and median revenue reached $11.1 million. Together, those companies added more than 610,000 jobs over the past three years.
When asked about the past year and the challenges COVID-19 presented, president of Arizona Fireplaces, Keith Richardson, replied, “Last March, as news about COVID-19 swept the country, there was a memorable moment I’ll never forget. It was the day we returned from the HPBA show in New Orleans. My Mom, Dad, Brother, and I had an emergency meeting on how we were going to handle the pandemic and what changes we were going to implement immediately. Walking out of that meeting, the level of uncertainty was high, but one thing was certain: we were not going to furlough anyone. At that time, our employee count was at 150. Today, there are 250+ employees and climbing.”
Keith further stated, “We used this opportunity to cross-train employees, streamline efficiencies, and not reduce inventory levels. We were catching up with processes and doubling down on efficiencies. An evolving trend that we began to recognize was the amount of people working from home, staying in, and cooking in their backyards. We hoped this would somehow translate into BBQ grill sales, but still had absolutely no idea what the months to come would bring us. We did know this: that our intention, initiative, investment in our people, and doubling down on inventory would fortify us in riding out the storm. It proved successful and for that we are very grateful.”