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Janesville company among fastest growing

JANESVILLE — Quietly going about its business, a small Janesville company is starting to make noise both locally and nationally.

SASid, 462 Midland Road, recently earned a spot on the 2011 Inc. 5000 list, a compilation of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States.

Founded in 2000 by Shannon and Shawn Kennedy, the Internet-based company was No. 4,511 on the annual list that’s based on revenue growth from 2007 to 2010.

SASid posted three-year revenue growth of 17 percent. It also bumped its employment level from 10 in 2007 to 25 in 2010.

Overall, the companies on the Inc. 5000 list posted a median growth rate of 94 percent and created more than 370,000 new jobs in the last three years.

To qualify, companies must be based in the United States, privately held, for profit and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies.

SASid is an acronym for Smart & Simple Insurance Development. It develops, administrates and markets insurance products with proprietary paperless technologies.

The company distributes its health, dental, and life insurance products through professional insurance agents and partnerships with national/regional associations.

The largest of the latter is the National Association of Realtors, said Sharon Abney, SASid’s operation manager.

“We are the exclusive insurance provider for the NAR, and that’s huge for us,” Abney said.

Abney said employees work hard, but they also have fun in a company culture that values and involves workers.

“We recruit great talent, and we’ve brought several people into the community,” said Abney, who joined SASid in 2010 after working in La Crosse.

“We have a real family-type atmosphere. We work hard, and we also have a great time.”

Abney said the company has been able to manage its growth with an efficient workforce and smart additions to it.

“We have a very specific recruitment process,” she said. “We’re not just looking for someone who meets the job qualifications. It has to be the right people and culture fit.”

As it grows, the company is becoming more involved in the community.

It recently joined Forward Janesville, and employees participated in a local walk to benefit the American Heart Association.

A recent kickball tournament involving SASid and business neighbors on Midland Road on the city’s east side raised money for the United Way.

“We really feel good about our company and want to participate and get involved in the community,” she said. “The Inc. 5000 ranking is a feather in our cap in terms of marketing, and it reinforces that good feeling we all have about the company.”

In all, 68 Wisconsin companies landed on this year’s Inc. 5000 list. Other area companies included New Glarus Brewing, New Glarus, No. 3,314; ABC Supply, Beloit, No. 4,081, and Standard Process, Palmyra, No. 4250.