100 fastest growing inner city businesses

13. U.S. Coating Specialties & Supplies
13. U.S. Coating Specialties & Supplies
Earl Washington, CEO
2009 Revenues: $9.1 million
5-year Annual Growth Rate: 70%

CEO:
Earl Washington
Location: Jackson, MS
Year Founded: 1977

About the business:
CEO Earl Washington was working for a paper and chemical company in Jackson, Miss. when he decided he had enough steam and gumption to start his own company. With the help of $30,000 he had saved and an SBA loan, he established U.S. Coating Specialties and Supplies, which, more than three decades later, actively competes with much larger competitors.

The company supplies commercial chemicals, cleaners, equipment and provides services including roofing, waterproofing and painting. Government contracts account for 48% of its business.

--By Eno Alfred and Alex Rodriguez


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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