Forty-five companies were recognized at the eighth annual Lehigh Valley Business (LVB) Fastest Growing Companies awards celebration. (courtesy photo)

The region’s fastest growing companies were acknowledged during the eighth annual Lehigh Valley Business (LVB) Fastest Growing Companies awards celebration last week, during which “Climbing to the Top” was the theme of the night.

“We recognize that reaching the top is not an easy task, and once you’ve made it, staying there is a feat few companies can claim,” said Cathy Hirko, LVB Associate Publisher and Editorial Director. “But we know, with a lot of hard work, it is possible and the proof can be seen here. You have distinguished yourselves as the fastest growing in the Lehigh Valley.”

The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) was a supporting sponsor for the Oct. 23 event at DeSales University in Upper Saucon Township, which drew hundreds of attendees.

Forty-five companies were recognized at the event, with the No. 1 spot going to the Bethlehem-based DLP Real Estate Capital, a leader in the single and multi-family real estate sectors of brokerage, fund management, asset management, construction, and private lending.

Don Wenner, Founder and CEO of DLP Real Estate Capital, which was awarded the No. 1 spot on the Lehigh Valley Business 2019 Fastest Growing Companies list. (courtesy photo)

“I know I speak for all of our dedicated team members when I say we are truly honored to receive the No. 1 ranking as the fastest growing company here in the Lehigh Valley,” said Don Wenner, founder & CEO of DLP Real Estate Capital.

“This being our thirteenth year in business here in the Lehigh Valley, we are extremely proud of our ability to consistently grow and execute year in and year out on our 20-mile march to Dream, Live, Prosper – passionately creating prosperity through real estate,” Wenner said.

Tyber Medical, a manufacturer of orthopedic and spinal implants based in Hanover Township, Northampton County, was ranked No. 2 on the list. The company recently received a $400,000 state loan to purchase machinery and equipment for its new 35,000-square-foot leased manufacturing facility.

Rounding out the Top 5 list of 2019 Fastest Growing Companies were Netizen Corporation, Good Life Companies, and Stratix Systems. OraSure Technologies, which was recently featured at the LVEDC Fall Signature Event, ranked No. 7. A full list of the honorees can be found below.

Hirko stressed the importance of continuing to grow Lehigh Valley’s talent pool as the region continues to grow and add jobs. For that reason, she praised Made Possible in Lehigh Valley, a new initiative by LVEDC seeking to increase outside awareness of the positive attributes Lehigh Valley has to offer, develop a positive image of the region, and market it as a desirable and attractive place to drive talent acquisition and retention.

“Made Possible in Lehigh Valley is a platform that shares the stories of the people, companies and places that make our place great,” Hirko said.

The procedure for determining the fastest-growing companies involved two factors: dollar growth and percentage growth, according to Greg Harp, firm director at Baker Tilly, which has helped calculate the event’s honorees for the past eight years.

Once we receive all the nominations, companies are first ranked in order by dollar growth, comparing year one to year three, Harp said. For this year’s event, 2018 revenue was compared with revenue from 2016. The company with the largest dollar revenue growth was ranked first, with the remaining companies following in order.

Companies were next ranked by percentage growth, comparing 2018 and 2016 revenue. The company that experienced the largest percentage growth was ranked first, with the remaining companies following in sequence. Finally, the dollar growth and the percentage growth rankings assigned to each company were combined to determine the overall company ranking.

The full list of honorees, ranked in order, is:

1. DLP Real Estate Capital
2. Tyber Medical
3. Netizen Corporation
4. Good Life Companies
5. Stratix Systems
6. Ideal Concepts, Inc.
7. OraSure Technologies, Inc.
8. JULABO USA
9. TRIOSE
10. MGN Logistics
11. Alloy5 Architecture
12. Piramal Critical Care, Inc.
13. Scale Warehouse and More
14. TWG Security
15. inSeption Group
16. Strunk Media Group
17. Berks • Fire • Water Restorations, Inc.
18. BSI Corporate Benefits LLC
19. Vigon International
20. KMRD Partners Risk & Human Capital Solutions
21. The Denzel Group
22. Austin Master Services LLC
23. Jerdon Construction Services
24. Creditsafe
25. Traffic Planning and Design, Inc.
26. Populytics, Inc.
27. AlphaGraphics Lehigh Valley
28. The Brothers that Just do Gutters – Lehigh Valley LLC
29. JAFLO, Inc.
30. Quaint Oak Mortgage, LLC
31. Schlouch Incorporated
32. Altitude Marketing
33. Zeswitz Music
34. TITAN Mobile Shredding, LLC
35. D&B Construction
36. JCS Health Care Services, Inc.
37. DESCCO Design & Construction, Inc.
38. BIOSCIENCE INC
39. Unique Pretzel Bakery
40. Equinox
41. Liquid
42. Nazareth Pallet
43. Dalton Delivery Service, Inc.
44. Fish Window Cleaning
45. Levan Machine & Truck Equipment