Crosby's United Packaging makes Inc. list of top 5,000

CROSBY - United Packaging Inc. with headquarters in Crosby, received recognition for its fast growth.

United Packaging was on Inc. magazine's first Inc. 5,000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the country. The Inc. 5,000, an extension of Inc. magazine's annual Inc. 500 list, catches many businesses that are too big to grow at the pace required to make the Inc. 500, as well as a host of smaller firms.

"The Inc. 5,000 provides the most comprehensive look ever at the most important part of the economy - the entrepreneurial part," Inc. 5,000 Project Manager Jim Melloan said in a news release. "The expansion of the list has allowed us to tell the stories of larger companies, older companies, and a wealth of companies in industries like manufacturing and construction that are underreported in the business media."

United Packaging Inc. is a leader in the design, testing, manufacturing and distribution of industrial packaging products serving the lawn and garden, appliance, recreational vehicle, door and window and original equipment manufacturer industries. United Packaging has five manufacturing plants with more than 150 employees.

Inc. reported United Packaging Inc. had sales of $14.6 million in 2006 with a 120 percent growth in the last three years.

The 2007 Inc. 5000 list measures revenue growth from 2003 through 2006. To qualify, companies had to be U.S.-based and privately held, independent - not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies - as of Dec. 31, 2006, and have had at least $200,000 in revenue in 2003, and $2 million in 2006.