The Fortune Magazine 'Inner City 100' list was released this month.
SWISCO in Camden was one of three N.J. companies that made the 2015 list. (Courtesy SWISCO) NEWARK -- Three of the fastest-growing inner city businesses in the country are in New Jersey, according to a Fortune Magazine ranking released this month.
The annual 'Inner City 100' list included two Newark-based companies - Sabre88, which ranked number 16 overall, and Consultants 2 Go, which ranked 89th. SWISCO, based in Camden, just made the list at number 100.
"We are proud to be included in the Inner City 100 list, and to be a part of the continuing revitalization of Camden," said SWISCO Operating Manager Paul Pallas. The family-owned company that was founded in the 1960s distributes hard-to-find hardware replacement parts for windows, doors, and other household and commercial items. It reported $4.15 million in revenue in 2014, and a growth rate of 80 percent between 2010 and 2014, the magazine said.
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"We hope to build on our success, and continue growing as an example of how traditional 'mom-and-pop' businesses can survive and thrive in the inner city," Pallas said in a release about the ranking.
Sabre88 - the only company from N.J. that was on last year's list - is a consulting and IT company serving mostly government offices. This year, it reported $2.54 million in revenue, and a five-year growth rate of 617 percent.
Though CEO and former Olympic fencer Robert Cottingham, Jr. did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday, he has often named his location as one of the reasons for his business's success.
"I am a Jersey guy. I was born and raised in Orange, so it was just natural for me to start my business here," Cottingham, Jr. told NJ Advance Media after his company was ranked last year.
"It's kind of a best kept secret kind of thing. I'm hoping that this (recognition) can help folks see that things like this can be done right here in Newark."
Consultants 2 Go, a marketing consultant company, reported a 97 percent growth rate and $9.95 million in revenue.
The list is compiled each year by the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, a nonprofit founded by a Harvard Business School professor that researches and strategizes about inner city economies.
In order to be considered for the ranking, the magazine said businesses must be located in "core urban areas with higher unemployment and poverty rates and lower median incomes than their surrounding metropolitan statistical areas."
Topping this year's list is Baltimore-based Bithenergy, a green energy consulting firm. The business has grown nearly 3000 percent over the past five years, the magazine said.
See the full ranking here.
Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
