Royal Oak Company is Among Fastest-Growing in U.S.

is among the 5,000 fastest-growing in the country, according to an analysis released last week by Inc.com.

"This is our third year in a row on the list," said Tim Ross, CEO. "We've been growing for a number of years. We've built our reputation on promising and delivering professionalism, integrity and quality service."

With an office on Woodward Avenue since the '80s, Ross said the company chose to locate in Royal Oak because it is number one on everyone's list for being easy to get to.

The fastest-growing private company overall was Unified Payments, a payment-processing service based in North Miami Beach, Florida. The Plymouth-based Marketplace Homes was the top Detroit-area company on the list (it ranked 189). 

Here's a look at the fast-growing Ross Mortgage Corporation:

• What it is: Mortgage banking company
• 3-year growth: 39 percent
• Revenue: $14.1 million
• Founded: 1949
• Employees: 147
• Ranks: 3905 overall; 66 in Detroit; 199 in industry.

The rankings span 25 industries and 50 states; they included 144 companies in Michigan and 89 in the metro-Detroit area. According to the introduction to the report on Inc.com, "Since the economy scraped bottom three years ago, consumers were pulling back, businesses large and small were hunkering down, but these scrappy enterprises were kicking into gear."

The 5,000 companies have grown from $196 billion in sales in 2008 to $299 billion in 2011, which is an average growth rate of 355 percent.