Aug. 17, 2021

Ten South Dakota companies have been named to the annual Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies, and they’ve inched closer to the top of the list than ever.

The 2021 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2017 to 2020. Companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2017, to qualify. They also must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit and independent — not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies — as of Dec. 31, 2019. The minimum revenue required for 2017 is $100,000, and the minimum for 2020 is $2 million.

The South Dakota companies making the list are:

• No. 129: SAB Biotherapeutics, Sioux Falls, 3,121 percent growth. SAB develops immunotherapies using human polyclonal antibodies.
• No. 209: Roodle, Hartford, 2,130 percent growth. Roodle supplies gourmet vanilla products and vanilla beans from around the world.
• No. 680: Coop’s Pretzels, Sioux Falls, 716 percent growth. Coop’s Pretzels provides seasoning and packaging of snacks nationwide.
• No. 1,499: Black Hills Exteriors, Rapid City, 316 percent growth. Black Hills Exteriors is a contractor specializing in insurance claim-related restoration and maintenance-free exterior remodels.
• No. 1,504: MarketBeat, Sioux Falls, 314 percent growth. MarketBeat is a market analysis resource designed for individual investors.
• No. 2,558: Filly Flair, Sioux Falls, 163 percent growth. Filly Flair is an online women’s apparel and accessories retailer.
• No. 2,828: Vikor, Sioux Falls, 140 percent growth. Vikor is a provider of wireless infrastructure and services.
• No. 2,944: Weisser Distributing, Tea, 131 percent growth. Weisser Distributing is an e-commerce distributor.
• No. 3,555: N2 Communications, Kyle, 96 percent growth. N2 Communications is a communications company focused on helping tech startups and financial services businesses tell their stories.
• No. 4,344: Epicosity, Sioux Falls, 65 percent growth. Epicosity is a full-service advertising and marketing agency.

With 314 percent three-year revenue growth, MarketBeat surpassed its 2020 top-line revenue of $14 million in the second quarter of this year and the company is on track to exceed its 2021 revenue goal of $20 million, founder and CEO Matt Paulson said.

“MarketBeat continues to perform well as more self-directed investors enter the market looking for trusted resources to evaluate stocks and other investments,” Paulson said. “We are aggressively reinvesting in our company’s original reporting, research tools and communication platforms to best serve the needs of the modern individual investor.” 

Along with the increased market volatility created by the pandemic, the need for timely and objective stock information also has increased. To continue to meet that need, MarketBeat has added seven positions since the onset of COVID-19.

“Growing our team will allow us to develop new best-in-class research tools based on proprietary data sets that you can’t find anywhere else,” Paulson said. “It will also allow us to offer unparalleled customer service to our 15,000 paid subscribers and 2.4 million email subscribers.”

For Sioux Falls-based Vikor, it’s the company’s fourth consecutive year being recognized on the list. Formerly Sioux Falls Tower & Communications, it’s one of the nation’s largest privately owned teleconstruction companies, providing wireless infrastructure and services in more than 30 states.

“When people ask me how we have become so successful recently, I often joke that Vikor is a 30-year overnight success,” founder Craig Snyder said.

“In other words, we’ve learned a lot over the years. I like to think of us as the biggest mom-and-pop, closely held teleconstruction company out there. We still have that small-company feel within a briskly growing organization.”

The company topping this year’s list is California-based Human Bees, which serves the temporary staffing industry.