• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
MPW

Exclusive: These Are the 50 Fastest-Growing Women-Owned Companies in the U.S.

By
Madeline Farber
Madeline Farber
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Madeline Farber
Madeline Farber
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 4, 2017, 7:00 AM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Ellen Latham never thought her love of fitness would result in owning one of the fastest-growing businesses in the United States.

Latham, who owns a boutique fitness chain called Orangetheory, has snagged the No. 1 spot the annual ranking of the fastest growing women-owned or led businesses released by the Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO) and American Express on Thursday. Though this Orangetheory’s first time at No. 1, the Florida-based company is not a newcomer to the list; it was ranked No. 3 last year.

The list, which is in its tenth year, ranks companies based on both percentage and absolute growth. To qualify, businesses must be privately-held, woman-owned or led, and have reached an annual revenue of at least $500,000 as of Jan. 1, 2012. The 50 companies generated a combined $7.2 billion last year, up from $75 million in 2007, the first year the list was compiled.

Latham co-founded Orangetheory with just $50,000 from her personal savings in 2010. Since then, the business has flourished: In 2016, Orangetheory reported $451 million in revenue, up from $87 million in 2014— success Latham never truly expected.

Sign up: Click here to subscribe to the Broadsheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter on the world’s most powerful women.

“We hit the ground running when we decided to franchise the company,” she says. “But I never thought it would explode to where it has.”

Orangetheory now flaunts 630 locations across the U.S., and has spent the last year breaking into the international market. “It’s been the biggest reward, but biggest challenge,” she says of expanding outside of the U.S.

Orangetheory is known for its metabolic training tactics—the roughly 60-minute, fat-burning classes are a blend of strength training and cardio, using exercise equipment like treadmills, indoor water-rowers, and free weights. Participants wear a heart-rate monitor, which is synced with monitors in the studio to see real-time readings.

“People are getting dramatic results in short period of time. That’s why the studios are jammed and we can’t open enough,” Latham says.

While the business on the list range across a wide variety of industries, there is one thing they—and the women who lead them—have in common, according to WPO president Marsha Firestone: innovation. “It’s definitely one of the characteristics that these women have that drive growth,” she says.

As for Latham’s advice to other aspiring female entrepreneurs, especially to those who have a great idea later on in life? “I was 53 when I started Orangetheory. So why not you?” she asks.

Top-ranked Orangetheory is followed by Pinnacle Group, an IT workforce solutions firm based in Dallas, which has remained in the No. 2 spot for the second year in a row. IT services firm Technology Concepts Group International, a newcomer to the list, was ranked No. 3. You can check out the full list of 50 below:

  1. Orangetheory Fitness
  2. Pinnacle Technical Resources
  3. Technology Concepts Group International
  4. Morning Sun Financial Services
  5. CATMEDIA
  6. Contract Direct
  7. Xtreme Solutions
  8. Akorbi
  9. Maximum Games
  10. Contingent Resource Solutions
  11. Aden & Anais
  12. Nugate Group
  13. Atrium Staffing
  14. MYCA Material Handling Solutions
  15. Ivie & Associates
  16. TKT & Associates, Inc.
  17. Quality Business Solutions
  18. Merrimak Capital Company
  19. BrightStar Franchising
  20. The Revel Group
  21. Prim Construction
  22. Influenster
  23. TransPerfect
  24. CorAnet Corp
  25. Renogy
  26. Twelve, Inc.
  27. CA South
  28. Chas Roberts A/C & Plumping, Inc.
  29. Greene-Group
  30. Ampcus Inc.
  31. Schendel Mechanical Contracting Ltd.
  32. Innovation Office Solutions
  33. Swoon Group, LLC
  34. Katom Restaurant Supply, Inc.
  35. TSAC Engineering
  36. Softpath System, LCC
  37. ICON Information Consultants, LP
  38. Mercury Freight (PTY), LYD
  39. OpTech, LLC
  40. Office Remedies, Inc.
  41. Tribal Tech, LLC
  42. The Bakery Cos.
  43. Administrative Strategies, LCC
  44. The Leading Niche
  45. Xclusive Staffing
  46. A-Plust Meeting and Incentives
  47. Create NYC
  48. CMT Services, Inc.
  49. PIA Agency
  50. Reliant Staffing Systems
About the Author
By Madeline Farber
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in MPW

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in MPW

ice
PoliticsImmigration
ICE arrested a woman in a habit walking to mass, then released her after realizing she was a nun
By Valerie Gonzalez and The Associated PressJune 30, 2026
3 days ago
MacKenzie Scott (left); Elon Musk (right)
SuccessMacKenzie Scott
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: ‘Sadly,’ it makes the world a worse place
By Sydney LakeJune 29, 2026
3 days ago
swisher
Politicspodcasts
‘Podcasts are the NBA’: Scott Galloway on Kara Swisher’s big success — ‘there’s a small amount of people making a lot of money’
By Steven Sloan and The Associated PressJune 29, 2026
3 days ago
np
PoliticsColleges and Universities
Nancy Pelosi brings her legendary congressional knowhow to a new Berkeley institute with $35 million in funding
By Kevin Freking and The Associated PressJune 29, 2026
3 days ago
Illustration of a bomb with the Bitcoin logo printed on it, against an orange background.
CryptoCryptocurrency
Bitcoin down 20% since May as Strategy fallout spooks investors
By Camila Grigera NaónJune 26, 2026
6 days ago
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America’s $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
SuccessMacKenzie Scott
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America’s $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
8 days ago

Most Popular

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
Big Tech
As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 1, 2026
2 days ago
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
8 days ago
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 1, 2026
1 day ago
Today, Emily Blunt is worth $80 million thanks to her Hollywood career—but she actually wanted to be a UN Spanish translator on $80K
Success
Today, Emily Blunt is worth $80 million thanks to her Hollywood career—but she actually wanted to be a UN Spanish translator on $80K
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJuly 2, 2026
18 hours ago
Trump got a $78K pension from the Screen Actors Guild in 2025 because he appeared in Home Alone 2 in 1992
Politics
Trump got a $78K pension from the Screen Actors Guild in 2025 because he appeared in Home Alone 2 in 1992
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 1, 2026
1 day ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
6 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.