handful of web hosts have found themselves on this year's Inc. 5000 list (inc.com/inc5000/2008), with HostGator leading the group with a ranking of the 21st fastest-growing private company in the nation.

Entrepreneurial resource Inc.'s (inc.com) 2008 edition of the Inc. 5000 list measures revenue growth from 2004 through 2007 for companies in various sectors, including business services, engineering, transportation, retail, computers, real estate, software, energy, media, and IT services.

Companies had to adhere to certain criteria to qualify, including being based in the United States, privately held, for profit, independent as of December 31, 2007, and have had at least $200,000 in revenue in 2004, and $2 million in 2007. 

In addition to being ranked #21 overall, The Houston-based HostGator was also ranked #1 for growth in the Houston metro, #2 for growth in the Business Services category, and #1 for growth within the state of Texas. The company boasted revenues of $18,700,000 in 2007 compared to revenues of $326,000 in 2004.

The company projects revenues over the next 12 months will reach $50 million. Since moving to Houston in 2006, HostGator has created over 155 positions for highly skilled technicians and systems administrators, and expects to add at least 100 new employees in Houston over the next few months.

"I started the company with a $1,000 budget from my dorm room in Boca Raton, Florida," says Brent Oxley, HostGator's founder and CEO. "Today the owners of more than 1.3 million websites depend on our hosting service. We are extremely proud of our strong past growth, but we're really only getting started."

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