Business NH Magazine's Top 100 Private Companies

How tough is the economy? Between 2008 and 2010 the Top 100 Private Companies in NH collectively saw revenues drop by more than $3 billion, from $40.5 billion in 2008 to $37.2 billion in 2010, a 7 percent decline. Despite that drop, there are signs of recovery, including the fact that 60 percent of companies on this year's Top 100 saw revenues grow during that time frame, though for most, growth was modest.

It's still an improvement from the bleak picture painted by the list we ran in 2010. Only 33 percent of the Top 100 grew revenues between 2007 and 2009 at the height of the recession. Businesses are tentative about the future, with 47 percent of companies on the list indicating they plan to expand within the next year, adding about 1,240 jobs. That's in line with 2010, when 45 percent of companies on the Top 100 anticipated adding a total of 1,180 jobs.

Each year, Business NH Magazine invites thousands of companies to participate in our annual survey of the Top 100 Private Companies in NH, which ranks businesses by gross revenue for 2010. We profile the Five Fastest-growing on the list (see page 58), as well as 10 Companies to Watch, which are companies without enough revenue to make the list, but are experiencing exponential growth (see page 63). (Growth rates are based on three-year average annual revenue growth.) 

There are some changes on the list, including 11 companies making their debut, such as Namtek Corp. in Bedford (#90), Micronics Inc. in Portsmouth (#89), PainCare Centers Inc. in Somersworth (#99) and Keene Medical Products Inc. in Lebanon (#91), all of which are also among the 20 fastest growing companies. Among those missing from the list this year are Salient Surgical Technologies, the second-fastest growing company on the Private 100 last year, because it's being acquired by a publicly traded company, Medtronic Inc. in Minneapolis. Also missing is Isaacson Structural Steel, which filed for bankruptcy protection in June and is reorganizing. 

So who's doing well? Of the top 20 fastest growing companies, six hail from the Seacoast, four from the Greater Nashua area, three from Greater Manchester, three from the Upper Valley and one each from Bretton Woods, Concord, Laconia and Salem. Most are from the manufacturing and business services sectors (six each); two each are in construction, consumer services and hospitality, and there's one tech company and one health care practice.

The Top 100 by the Numbers

Here's a look at the Class of 2011:

Collectively, the Private 100 employ 35,665 people full-time, with 15,111 of those jobs in NH. They also employ 7,681 part-timers, for a total of 43,346 jobs. The largest employer is C&S Wholesale Grocers in Keene, which has 13,300 employees. There are 15 companies on the list with 500 or more employees and 11 that have 50 or fewer.

53 percent are located in the Merrimack Valley, with 21 percent in the Seacoast, 9 percent in the Upper Valley, 7 percent in the Monadnock Region, 6 percent in the Lakes Region and 4 percent in the North Country.

5 companies on the list were established no more than 10 years ago while 10 percent of the companies have been in business for more than 100 years. Monadnock Paper Mills, a paper manufacturer in Bennington, remains the oldest company on the list, at 192 years old. Also celebrating a milestone anniversary this year is Laconia Savings Bank, which has been in business for 180 years.

Only 8 percent of the Private 100 are led by women.

Traditional manufacturing and high tech dominate the list, representing 34 percent of the Private 100. They are followed by business services (25 percent), retail/wholesale (22 percent), construction (10 percent), hospitality (8 percent), and health care (1 percent).

48 percent of the companies on the Private 100 are family-owned.

To meet the CEOs, presidents, and VPs from these top companies, please join us at the Private 100 cocktail reception on October 24, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Capitol Center for the Arts. Register at www.eventsNH.com.