BUFFALO, N.Y. — For the sixth straight year, Inc. magazine has named Kee Safety, Inc., Buffalo, N.Y., to its prestigious Top 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in the United States. Reporting growth of 14 percent from 2008 through 2011, with revenue of $11.2 million last year, Kee Safety achieved a rank of 4,729. This is the second consecutive year Kee Safety is being recognized as a member of the Inc. 5000 Honor Roll by earning a place on the list for at least five years. For a track record of Kee Safety’s growth, see: http://www.inc.com/inc5000/profile/kee-safety
“The introduction of innovative products helped put us on the list in 2007,” said Mike Mumau, president of Kee Safety, Inc. “Although we continue to develop new products, we have also formed partnerships that are spurring our continued growth.”
Kee Safety introduced Kee® Hatch Lite in 2011, an OSHA-compliant safety railing system for roof hatches. Built of strong yet lightweight and corrosion-resistant aluminum, Kee Hatch Lite streamlined component parts of typical roof hatch railing systems to reduce installation time from more than two hours to approximately 30 minutes, according to Kee Safety.
In 2011, Kee Safety joined Pacific Industrial Contractor Screening (PICS), Irvine, CA, an organization providing independent verification of data and assurances that suppliers such as Kee Safety meet applicable safety standards. Nearly 30 percent of Fortune 500 companies require PICS certification for major construction and maintenance projects. Kee Safety also teamed up with TREMCO of Beachwood, OH, in 2011. TREMCO is now the exclusive representative of Kee Safety in North America marketing KeeGuard® perimeter railing systems for rooftops, Weightanka deadweight anchor systems, and other fall protection products to existing buildings.
Founded in 1979, Inc. unveiled its first Top 100 list of fastest-growing private companies in 1981 and extended the list to the Top 500 the following year. The publication expanded its list significantly in 2007 with a Top 5000 list, seeking to recognize a greater number of dynamic independent companies in the U.S. Kee Safety made the inaugural list of the Top 5000 in 2007 and every year since.
“There are more than 13 million private companies in the United States,” Mumau added, “so to be on the Inc. list means Kee Safety is in the top one-tenth of one percent.”
In writing about its Inc. honorees, the magazine noted that 20 percent of the Inc. 500 list member companies launched in 2008, the first year of the Great Recession. (See article: http://bit.ly/TjTZIm) Kee Safety was founded in 1934 during the Great Depression, manufacturing Kee Klamp® slip-on, structural pipe fittings used to build safety railings, racks, awnings, displays, tables and many other tubular pipe-fitted structures.
The Inc. article noted that many of the new start-ups on the list have what they consider “recession-proof” businesses; however, Kee Safety has traditionally relied upon the manufacturing segment and commercial construction, two industries not experiencing boom times.
“With so many changes in the marketplace, if we had offered only our original product line, and not innovated, we would not be on the Inc. list. We would be fighting for our survival,” Mumau said.
“It is a tribute to the dedication, hard work and creativity of our employees that we continue to innovate and grow,” he added.
Inc. is publishing the 2012 list in its September 2012 issue and will honor recipients at a Conference and Awards Ceremony Oct. 3 – 5, 2012, at the Marriot Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, Phoenix, Ariz.
For more information, visit www.keesafety.com.
