100 fastest growing inner city businesses

20. Facilities Connection
20. Facilities Connection
2009 Revenues: $19 million
5-year Annual Growth Rate: 60%

CEO:
Patricia Holland-Branch
Location: El Paso, TX
Year Founded: 1986

About the business:
In 1986, Patricia Holland Branch was working as an interior designer for an office furniture store. As the company began to focus more on selling rather than designing furniture, Branch decided it was time to look elsewhere. After failing to find a job that matched her aspirations, Branch became an independent designer. In 1987, after landing four clients, Branch opened her first office.

Facilities Connection focuses on furniture management and interior design services, but also provides other services. The company offers office furniture project and logistics management for commercial, industrial and governmental offices.

--By Eno Alfred and Hyacinth Vassell


The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) defines inner cities as core urban areas with higher unemployment and poverty rates and lower median incomes than their surrounding metropolitan statistical areas. For the 2011 list, ICIC received more than 2,000 solicited nominations using its database of small businesses and through the support of its nominating partners, including the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Staples, and the Small Business Administration. Companies were ranked by compound annual growth rate (CAGR) based on their revenue over the five-year period between 2005 and 2009 (the last year for which complete data was available).
Last updated May 18 2011: 5:14 PM ET
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