Brandon Brittingham of the Delaware Group of Long and Foster, left, and Delmarva Veteran Builders founder Chris Eccleston have been named to the prestigious Inc. 5000 list owning two of the fastest-growing private companies in the nation.

Two local businesses – Delmarva Veteran Builders and Maryland and Delaware Group of Long and Foster -- have been named to the prestigious Inc. 5000 list of the fastest growing private companies in the country.

Delmarva Veteran Builders, which hires veterans, was ranked No. 456. Brittingham’s real estate business was congratulated for a 123 percent growth rate, ranked No. 3196 and No. 160 in real estate.

The Inc. 500 is an annual list of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in the United States, introduced in 1982. The Inc. 5000 is an expansion of the Inc. 500, which ranks the country’s top 5,000 fastest-growing private companies and also features a special ranking of the top 10 percent of the list as the Inc. 500.

The Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth over a three-year period. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by the first week of the starting calendar year, and therefore able to show three full calendar years of sales.

Delmarva Veteran Builders reported revenue for 2017 at $18.5M with a 1,114.5 percent three-year growth. Celebrating its fifth anniversary at the beginning of 2018, the staff grew from 1 to 23 over the course of the first five years in business.

“Determined, focused and always ready -- that is what our veteran team carries with them to every job site,” said Chris Eccleston, owner.

“I congratulate my entire team because we wouldn’t be where we are today without each and every one of them. We owe thanks to our clients for believing in our mission and our work. We promise to stay the course as we continue to grow and serve both our community and our country,” he said.

Brittingham said he particularly pleased a small region like the Eastern Shore “can be named to Inc. 5000, which is one of the most prestigious lists in business that is out there.”

“Microsoft, companies like Under Armour, are the caliber of companies that have made the list before.

“It’s humbling but it’s also amazing. We’re here on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and we’re competing with every other company in the United States,” Brittingham said.

His four-year-old company has about 100 employees.

To be ranked, companies must be based in the United States, be privately held, be independent and not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies and have revenue in the initial year of at least $100,000, and revenue in the most recent year of at least $2 million.

Among companies honored by Inc. 5000 are Pandora, 7-Eleven, Toys 'R Us, Zipcar and Zappos.com.

In 2007, the Inc. 500 list expanded to the Inc. 5000, capturing a broader spectrum of success.

The Inc. 5000 list touts itself as “a celebration of innovation, a network of entrepreneurial leaders, and an effective public relations showcase.”

“It ranks companies by overall revenue growth over a three-year period. All 5,000 honoree companies are individually profiled on Inc.com,” according to a news release.