Derek GilliamSarasota Herald-Tribune
Nine Sarasota and Bradenton area companies made national publication Inc.'s list of the 5,000 fastest growing private companies in America.
The list includes real estate, software development and professional reputation management companies and even a local retailer in business since 2003.
Zap Mortgage reported as fastest local company
The fastest growing company in the Sarasota region was Zap Mortgage, with an astounding 7,183% growth in revenue over the past three years.
Zap Mortgage was founded by Anthony Lee, an Air Force veteran, with his company focusing on "helping veterans and first-time home buyers purchase homes," according to Inc. The company was founded in 2016 and ranked as the No. 36 fastest growing company in the U.S.
While the company's website lists a Colorado mailing address, the Inc. 5000 company profile lists Sarasota as the company's location. Lee's LinkedIn also lists him as a local resident.
Nucleus Security sees more than 1,000% growth
Nucleus Security, a Sarasota financial services company that focuses on vulnerability risk management solutions, is led by CEO Steve Carter. That company was founded in 2019 and has experienced 1,562% revenue growth over the past three years, according to Inc. The company's three-year rate of growth ranked it as the 267th fastest growing company.
The company recently announced an investment by Dcode Capital, a growth-stage venture capital firm, after Nucleus Security achieved FedRAMP authorization earlier in 2024, according to a Nucleus Security news release. FedRAMP is a government-wide program promoting adoption of secure cloud services for federal government unclassified information, according to Fedramp.gov, a U.S. government website.
The company lists an address on Alafia Drive east of Interstate 75 and north of Fruitville Road.
Neal Land & Neighborhoods lands highly on list
The next fastest growing company in Sarasota-Manatee was Neal Land & Neighborhoods, a company founded by Sarasota-Manatee real estate businessman John Neal, the son of longtime Southwest Florida developer Pat Neal, who also made the list with his company — Neal Communities.
Neal Land & Neighborhoods ranked at 804 on the Inc. 5000 list. Founded in 2018, the company has experienced 616% growth over the past three years, according to Inc.
Neal Land & Neighborhoods focuses on building master-planned communities in Manatee and Sarasota counties, with its flagship community located in Parrish. The land development company began building North River Ranch in 2020 and owns "thousands of acres of land entitled for more than 9,000 future residential homes." The company also supports mixed-use commercial and retail.
A second community, Vistera of Venice, is also being developed by Neal Land & Neighborhoods.
Prestige Travel Nurses saw boost during pandemic
Prestige Travel Nurses ranked as No. 1,251 by Inc. as the Sarasota-based healthcare staffing business experienced 414% growth over the past three years. The company was founded in 2005 and is led by Stephen Skertich.
The company has placed on the Inc. 5000 before, achieving a placement of 861 in 2023, 2,518 in 2017 and 3,637 in 2018, according to Inc. The company has between 1 and 10 employees.
The company lists it's office at 6151 Lake Osprey Dr.
Occams Advisory plans to be one-stop shop
Founded in 2012, Sarasota-based Occams Advisory ranked at 1,804 on the list of 5,000 companies. The company's website boasts that Occams is a one-stop firm for small and medium businesses in search of financial and professional services.
The company experienced 289% growth over the past three years and has made the Inc. 5000 list every year since 2016.
The company has a downtown Sarasota office at 1962 Main St.
Professional Lift Solutions elevates inside top 2,000
Coming in at 1,916 on the list, Professional Lift Solutions is an elevator contractor founded in 2017 specializing in ADA-compliant accessibility solutions for commercial projects, according to its website.
The construction company is led by Paul Johnson and experienced 272% growth over the past three years, according to Inc.
The company's Sarasota office is at 1925 12th St.
Net Reputation focuses on digital branding
Net Reputation was No. 3,434. The advertising and marketing company was founded in 2015 as a reputation, review management and content removal business focused on digital branding and online monitoring solutions for both businesses and individuals.
The company employs between 11 and 50 people and is led by Adam Petrilli.
The company's office is located at 1100 N. Tuttle Ave.
Neal Communities sees explosive growth as mature company
Often these types of lists will be filled with startup companies or companies that have just started to ramp up their growth strategy.
So, for Neal Communities, founded in 1970, to make the list with 109% growth in revenue over the past three years has to be considered a major achievement for the real estate development company.
Pat Neal, the founder of Neal Communities, has more than 50 years in real estate development.
“As Southwest Florida’s largest private homebuilder, our growth is a testament to the trust that the region’s homebuyers have placed in our communities and the ongoing demand for our homes," Neal said in a news release.
Earlier this week, Neal received approval for another master-planned community after a marathon Sarasota County Commission meeting for a more than 6,500-home community even as some residents opposed the development citing concerns about "overdevelopment" of eastern Sarasota County.
Local retailer DutchCrafters returns to Inc. 5000 list
The last Sarasota-Manatee company included on the list was DutchCrafters, which ranked at 4,961 on the list. The niche-retail company sells Amish furniture, led by James Miller. The company has between 11 and 50 employees and was founded in 2003.
The company made the Inc. 5000 list for the first time in 2015 as the 1,983 fastest growing company and repeated the feat for the next three years before failing to make the list since 2018.
However, in 2024 the company reported a 74% three-year growth rate, returning as one of the fastest growing private companies in the U.S.
DucthCrafters office is located at 3709 N. Lockwood Ridge Road.
