Arizona's 154 fastest-growing companies made $18.5B since 2018

Arizona is home to more than 150 of the country's fastest-growing companies, according to the latest Inc. 5000 lineup.

State of play: The 154 companies — mostly in metro Phoenix — made this year's prestigious list, which ranks businesses based on revenue growth over a three-year period, from 2018 to 2021.

Why it matters: Collectively, these businesses added more than 12,000 jobs over the past three years and drove $18.5 billion in revenue, according to Inc.

Zoom in: Two Valley companies made the top 50.

• Qwick (No. 32): A hospitality staffing company based in Scottsdale that's grown more than 10,000% in the past three years.
• Emerge (No. 37): This freight procurement software company, also based in Scottsdale, grew almost 9,000%.

What they're saying: "The accomplishment of building one of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S., in light of recent economic roadblocks, cannot be overstated," Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk said.

• Qwick chief marketing officer Retta Kekic said the company's "one-of-a-kind workplace culture" has allowed it to serve hospitality businesses in Phoenix and 24 other markets.
• Emerge CEO and founder Andrew Leto said, "In 2017, we built this company to fill a major gap in the transportation procurement space. The market response to our solution has been phenomenal."

Not bragging, but: Axios (No. 2,227) also made the list! We grew 264% between 2018 and 2021.

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