Golden Valley-based Winmark Corporation led the Minnesota companies on Forbes’ list, ranking 11th overall.
Of the 100 businesses selected by Forbes as “America’s best small companies,” six are based in Minnesota.
In forming the list, Forbes considered companies that have been publicly traded for at least a year, generate annual revenue between $5 million and $1 billion, and have a stock price of at least $5 per share. The rankings are based on earnings growth, sales growth, and return on equity during the past year and over five years; stock performance was also factored in.
Golden Valley-based Winmark Corporation led the Minnesota pack, ranking 11th overall. The company is a franchisor of retail store concepts, including Once Upon A Child, Plato’s Closet, Play It Again Sports, and Music Go Round.
NVE Corporation, an Eden Prairie-based developer of devices that use a nanotechnology called spintronics, ranked 15th on Forbes’ list.
Minneapolis-based Capella Education Company, Golden Valley-based Buffalo Wild Wings, Mankato-based HickoryTech Corporation, and Minneapolis-based Hawkins ranked 37th, 54th, 83rd, and 94th, respectively.
Questcor Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company based in California, topped the list, followed by runner-up American Public Education, a West Virginia-based provider of online postsecondary education for the military and public service communities.
To view the full Forbes list, which can be sorted by company location and industry, click here.
—Jake Anderson
(janderson@tcbmag.com)