DALLAS GETS THE “INC.”

INC. Magazine, a national business journal, recently named what it calls “The INC. 500,” a listing of the 500 fastest growing private companies in the United States. Each company on the list has more than tripled its sales during the last five years. California has the most companies listed, but Texas is a close second, followed by New York. Nine of the 500 companies are from the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

Included in the top 10 is CompuShop, a retail computer store in Richardson. As could be expected, electronics-related companies took up a large share of the list, but the other Dallas-area businesses that made the INC. 500 varied quite a bit. Other area businesses listed include Ava Care, a cosmetics, vitamins and minerals dealer in Dallas; Dallas-Fort Worth Distributing, a furniture wholesaler in Dallas; D&S Metals, a metal distributor in Dallas; Wiedemann & Johnson, executive benefit planners in Dallas; Harold E. Hammond, distributors of printed materials in Fort Worth; Information Bureau, a financial newsletter in Dallas; Universal Fire Equipment, service and sales of commercial fire equipment in Dallas; and TaxLogic, a computerized income tax processing service in Richardson.

These businesses are in good company. From 1977 to 1981, sales by the INC. 500 companies rose 571 percent. During the last five years, the group’s work force rose by 315 percent, and more than 300 companies report net incomes exceeding 6 percent of sales. In three out of four of the companies, the chief executive officer holds a majority interest.