Nine Lives

The recession is pervasive up and down the Gulf Coast, but a few companies have found ways to grow at skyrocketing rates. Nearly 10 such local businesses made a national best-of list.

The Gulf Coast is well represented in Inc. magazine's latest list of the fastest-growing companies in the country, including two in the top 10.

The magazine's annual Inc. 500 issue ranks companies based on three-year revenue growth rates from 2005-2008. The 2009 Inc. 500, therefore, straddles both the boom and the bust.