The Inc. 5000 list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the U.S. economy’s most dynamic segment— its independent small businesses.

Companies such as Microsoft, Dell, LinkedIn, Zillow, Yelp, Timberland, and other firms which have become household names, first gained national exposure as Inc. 5000 honorees. In the opening of the online article about the Inc. 5000 list, it states, “There’s fast growth—and then there’s Inc. 5000 fast growth.” What a testament to the risk, long hours, work ethic, dedication and knowledge of their industry required by these business owners and their management teams to achieve the success and sales numbers they did in a short period of time.

Mark Spain Real Estate, on the Inc. 5000 list a third consecutive year, made a huge leap of 421 places from its 2017 ranking. Neither of these accomplishments is easy to achieve, particularly when considering that, according to Inc., only 12 percent of all American companies achieve a one-year revenue growth of 25 percent or more.

“Our leadership team is extremely focused on getting the right people in place at every level and being extremely selective about the real estate agents who ultimately become a part of the team,” explains Chairman and CEO Mark Spain about the client-focused nature of his firm. “It’s a significant difference between us and other real estate companies. Making the team is just the first hurdle. It’s followed by an extensive training process—even for an experienced agent—before that person ever goes out into the field to work as a seller or buyer’s agent.”

The 2018 Inc. 5000, released online at Inc.com, is a competitive and varied list of businesses. Companies are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2014 to 2017. No company on the Inc. 5000 list has grown by less than 50 percent over that time period. By comparison, the economy grew by roughly 4 percent. So this sustained increase, like the 274 percent three-year sales growth achieved by Mark Spain Real Estate in the exceptionally competitive Atlanta real estate market, is a substantial accomplishment.

The Inc. 5000 honor comes just weeks after Mark Spain Real Estate was named the No. 1 sales team in the nation for most closed annual sales transactions on The Thousand Top Real Estate Professionals list. The national awards ranking is sponsored annually by REAL Trends/The Wall Street Journal. It’s based on 2017 sales production. Mark Spain Real Estate averaged more than 8 home sales per day for $550 million in total gross sales.

One of only 236 real estate-related firms in America to earn a spot on the list (and dozens of these were actually home builders, developers or multi-family/apartment construction firms, not residential real estate companies), Mark Spain Real Estate was one of only seven real estate firms in Georgia to make the Inc. 5000 list in 2018.

Mark Spain Real Estate has also been honored by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as one of the top 150 companies in Atlanta to work, receiving both a 2017 and 2018 AJC Top Places to Work Award.

Headquartered in metro Atlanta, Mark Spain Real Estate began expansion outside Georgia in 2018. It has opened offices in Charlotte, Raleigh and, this month, in Nashville. The firm has plans to continue its expansion to other cities in the Southeast in 2019 and beyond.

About Mark Spain Real Estate (MSRE):
Mark Spain Real Estate is an industry-leading residential real estate firm with offices throughout the Southeast. Prior to forming his own independent firm in January 2016, Mark Spain and his team were annually the No. 1 ranked large team for sales production with the Atlanta Realtors Association for more than 10 consecutive years and annually appeared in the top 10 of the REAL Trends/Wall Street Journal list of America’s top 1,000 agents and teams. Mark Spain Real Estate is the No. 1 most reviewed real estate company on Zillow in the entire United States.

MSRE has earned Atlanta Business Chronicle Pacesetter Award honors the last two years, for being one of 100 metro Atlanta’s top fastest-growing privately held companies. MSRE started off 2018 with being named to the Bulldog 100 Award List, debuting at No. 16 as one of the fastest-growing 100 University of Georgia (UGA) alumni-owned companies. It was also honored with two Agents’ Choice Awards by Atlanta Agent Magazine. Voted on by industry peers who read the trade magazine, awards included Best Team in metro Atlanta real estate and Mark Spain was personally selected for the Charitable Service Award. MSRE just made its debut on Atlanta’s Top 25 Real Estate Companies annual list, compiled by Atlanta Business Chronicle, with verified gross residential sales volume for the previous year.

Methodology
The 2018 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2014 to 2017. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2014. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent - not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies - as of December 31, 2017. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.'s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at https://www.inc.com/inc5000/list/2018.

About Inc. and the Inc. 500|5000:
Founded in 1979, Inc. is the only major brand dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies, with the aim to deliver real solutions for today's innovative company builders. Total monthly audience reach for the brand has grown significantly from 2 million in 2010 to over 13 million today.

The Inc. 500|5000 is a list of the fastest-growing private companies in the nation. Started in 1982, this prestigious list of the nation's most successful private companies has become the hallmark of entrepreneurial success. The Inc. 5000 Conference & Awards Ceremony is an annual event that celebrates their remarkable achievements. For more information on Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Conference, visit inc.com.