Inc. magazine has ranked WinWholesale Inc. 2,623 on its first-ever “Inc. 5,000” list of the fastest-growing private companies in the country. This extended 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. Taken as a whole, these companies represent the backbone of the U.S. economy.

WinWholesale currently has 567 locations across the country. During the three-year period evaluated by the magazine, WinWholesale’s revenues grew 131 percent to $2.6 billion.

The 2007 “Inc. 5,000” can be found online at www.inc.com/inc5000.

In related news, Inc. revealed the hottest areas of the country for the fastest-growing companies. Leading this list was the Midwest region with 1,046 of the fastest-growing companies, followed by the West with 884 companies. The Southeast came in a close third, with 872 companies, followed by the Northeast with 782 companies, and the Mid-Atlantic region with 606 companies.

The hottest industries for the fastest-growing businesses were Construction, with 561 of the fastest-growing companies in this category,  followed by Manufacturing with 515 companies. IT services was third with 466 companies. Business Services had 377 companies, and Advertising & Marketing had 349 companies ranked on the 2007 “Inc. 5,000." Construction also reported the highest total revenue in 2006 ($27.1billion).