100 fastest growing inner city businesses

19. Allied Industries
19. Allied Industries
2009 Revenues: $22.3 million
5-year Annual Growth Rate: 61%

CEO:
Ernesto Gutierrez
Location: North Hollywood, CA
Year Founded: 1998

About the business:
While CEO Ernie Gutierrez worked in the construction industry in the 1990s, he dreamed of improving his lot. Gutierrez obtained a painting-contracting license and then went door-to-door with flyers to advertise his newly formed painting business. A few years later, a friend told him about the dangers of lead-based paint, and the ripe business opportunity in its removal. After attending trade school, to learn more about the safe removal of lead-based paint, Gutierrez used $60,000 in credit card debt to fund and found Allied Industries.

The company has expanded and now specializes in the removal of many other environmental toxins. Allied Industries also provides environmental remediation, environmental consulting, engineering and construction services.

--By Eno Alfred and Daron Sharps


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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