ORLANDO, Fla., March 15, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Inc. magazine today revealed that nonbank direct lender Fountainhead is No. 32 on its third annual Inc. 5000 Regionals: Southeast list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing private companies based in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Born of the annual Inc. 5000 franchise, this regional list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the Southeast region economy’s most dynamic segment–its independent small businesses.
“We’re thrilled to be recognized as one of the region’s fastest-growing companies,” said Founder and CEO Chris Hurn. “Ranking this high is only possible because of the hard work and commitment the whole Fountainhead team has put in over the past two years. Not only have we survived pandemic-caused economic turmoil, but we’ve also thrived and managed to help America’s small businesses while doing so.”
The companies on this list show a remarkable rate of growth across all industries in the Southeast region. Between 2018 and 2020, these 173 private companies had an average growth rate of 147% percent and, in 2020 alone, they added 27,794 jobs and nearly $4.9 billion to the Southeast region’s economy. Companies based in the Miami, Florida, Fairhope, Alabama, and Covington, Louisiana, areas had the highest growth rate overall.
Complete results of the Inc. 5000 Regionals: Southeast, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, metro area, and other criteria, can be found at inc.com/southeast starting March 15, 2022.
“This year’s Inc. 5000 Regional winners represent one of the most exceptional and exciting lists of America’s off-the-charts growth companies. They’re disrupters and job creators, and all delivered an outsize impact on the economy. Remember their names and follow their lead. These are the companies you’ll be hearing about for years to come,” says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc.
Founded in 2015, Fountainhead is one of only 14 Small Business Administration (SBA) approved nationwide, nonbank, direct commercial lending firms (SBLCs or Small Business Lending Companies) specializing in funding commercial real estate projects and providing growth financing for small-to-midsize businesses utilizing SBA 7(a), SBA 504, low LTV conventional loans – and most recently, Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. Fountainhead made the top 100 list for most active SBA lenders in the nation in its first full year of operations and earned SBA’s coveted “Preferred Lending Partner” designation in 2019. In seven short years, Fountainhead has grown into the largest SBA-approved nonbank lender in the Southeast, the third-largest SBA lender based in Florida and the fastest growing firm in Orlando. The company has made loans in all 50 states and six territories and financed over $5.45 billion in total projects, helping to create or retain an estimated 480,000 jobs.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Fountainhead’s team of 16 Orlando-based employees, plus another 13 throughout the country, funded more than $4.72 billion in relief funds, by far Central Florida’s largest PPP lender. In fact, of all PPP loans made to Florida-based businesses in 2021, Fountainhead made 6.67% of them (40,093 for $487.61 million), more than any other lender in the state. In 2021, the company also earned the distinction of being the nation’s sixth-most-active PPP lender, saving an estimated 430,000 American jobs nationwide.
For more information on Fountainhead, or ways to grow your small-to-midsized business, visit FountainheadCC.com.
About Fountainhead
Founded in 2015, Fountainhead is one of 14 U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) approved nationwide, nonbank, direct commercial lending firms specializing in funding commercial real estate projects and providing growth financing for small-to-midsized businesses utilizing SBA 7(a), SBA 504, and low LTV conventional loans. The nonbank lender is the largest SBA-approved nonbank lender in the Southeast, the largest SBA lender based in Florida, and was recently named the ninth-fastest growing firm in Orlando. The team at Fountainhead has been involved in financing more than $24 billion in total projects over their careers, making them one of the most experienced teams in commercial lending to owners of small-to-midsized businesses.
Media Contact
Ericka Rivera
Uproar PR for Fountainhead
erivera@uproarpr.com
More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Regionals
Methodology
The 2022 Inc. 5000 Regionals are ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2018 and 2020. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2018. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2019. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2018 is $100,000; the minimum for 2020 is $1 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons.
About Inc. Media
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 websites, 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 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.
