Head of 1871 touts Chicago business growth

FRI, 08/22/2014 - 1:01PM

1871 CEO Howard Tullman on Friday praised Chicago business development efforts while discussing Inc. magazine’s ratings of the U.S.’s fastest-growing private businesses.

The city had 95 businesses on the magazine’s annual list of the country’s 5,000 fastest-growing private companies.  New York City was the only U.S. city with more businesses on the list. Protein Bar, Red Frog Events and Coyote Logistics were among the Chicago companies named in the ranking, Crain’s Chicago Business reported.

Melissa Wooten of 1871’s communications team said none of the technology-startup incubator’s companies were eligible for the ranking because it only included businesses at least three years old. 1871 was founded in 2012.

On Friday, Tullman called Chicago “the prime place for entrepreneurs to develop their businesses in the United States.”

“This city has incredible universities, an educated and driven workforce, a healthy economy with hundreds of major customers in which no single sector dominates the market, and a mayor and governor who get it,” Tullman said. “The Inc. results confirm that we're building solid businesses, creating innovative products and services that are generating steady revenue, adding new jobs, and fostering growth across the economy.”

-Tom Butala