Inc. magazine and Inc.com (www.Inc.com) recently announced plans to expand the Inc. 500, Inc.'s acclaimed annual list of America's fastest-growing, private companies, to include 4,500 more of these dynamic businesses.

"As the Inc. 500 list enters its second quarter century, we want to extend our coverage and deepen our understanding of the companies that are changing the business landscape and creating a disproportionate number of new jobs in the U.S.," said John Koten, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Mansueto Ventures, which owns Inc. and Inc.com. "We want to discover, learn about, and draw attention to even more of the private companies that are taking off right now. It's the best way to see the future of business as it is being created."

The top 500 companies on the Inc. 5,000 will still be known as the Inc. 500, and they will appear in the September 2007 issue of Inc., with profiles of each based on CEO interviews. The Inc. 5,000 will be listed on Inc.com with basic information about each company, including a brief description of its business.

In addition to honoring the top 500 and 5,000 companies, the information collected by Inc. will be used to advance the study of company growth and the entrepreneurial economy in the U.S. Over the years, Inc. has shared the aggregate data it collects with leading economists, academic institutions, and foundations. "This is still an understudied area despite its crucial importance to the future of our country," said Koten.

To be eligible for the Inc. 5,000, companies must be U.S.-based and independent, with four full calendar years of revenue generation. Companies must provide their revenue figures for 2003, 2004, 2005 and an estimate for 2006 to qualify for consideration. They can do that via the online qualification form reachable via Inc.com's front page at www.Inc.com, or at www.inc5000.com.

However, for the first time, Inc. is encouraging all independent, U.S.-based, privately held companies to fill out qualification forms for the Inc. 5,000, even though many may not yet be eligible for the list. "We want to make sure all growing private companies are on our radar screen," said Inc. 5,000 Project Manager Jim Melloan. "Sometimes eligible companies are so busy growing that they miss our application window, so we want to be able to track them and send them reminders when they become eligible for the list." The deadline for submitting the qualification form is March 1, 2007.

All companies that place on the Inc. 5,000 will be invited to the first-ever Inc. 5,000 conference, which will take place in Chicago at the Hilton, September 6-8, 2007. In another first, the conference will take place just weeks after the list is announced.

The Inc. 500 boasts an impressive roster of alumni across all sectors: Microsoft, Domino's Pizza, Timberland, and E*Trade, to name just a few. The 2006 list set a record for total combined revenue at $19.7 billion. The number one company, payment processing firm Lidle & Co., grew revenue 5,629% from 2002 through 2005. Number 500, Apex Environmental Engineering & Compliance, came in at 305% growth over the same period. The 2006 Inc. 500 also featured the list's largest company ever, Western Refining, with revenue of $3.4 billion in 2005.

Inc., www.Inc.com, the only major business magazine dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies, delivers real solutions for today's innovative company builders. It provides hands-on tools and market-tested strategies for managing people, finances, sales, marketing, and technology. Inc., a Mansueto Ventures LLC publication, inspires and informs, with cutting-edge coverage that reflects our readers' energy, brashness, and imagination.

-- Inc. Magazine

The newsletter is issued electronically every other month.

Please send comments or questions to Barbro McGinn, editor.