News Article

• January 23, 2026

40 VIP Graduate Companies Recognized as Fastest Growing Companies in America

Inc. 5000 named 40 businesses who graduated from the Veteran Institute for Procurement (VIP) in its annual list of fastest growing companies in America. The VIP graduate companies recognized in this year's Inc. 5000 list demonstrate remarkable consistency and staying power, with 30 companies earning the honor for the second consecutive year. Blake Willson Group achieved an impressive milestone by making the list for the seventh consecutive year, the longest streak among all VIP graduate awardees.

VIP graduates have been a consistent presence on the Inc. 5000, with a total of 126 companies recognized since 2014. This sustained representation underscores the training program's proven track record in helping businesses thrive in competitive markets year after year.

This year's highest-ranked VIP graduate, Veterans Lighting, Inc., doing business as Veterans Electrical Solutions, secured the number 209 spot as a first-time honoree. The company's success is particularly noteworthy as a graduate of multiple VIP programs: GROW, ADVANCE, and CORPORATE. This highlights the value many companies find in continuing to use VIP as a resource to accelerate their growth.

Among this year's honorees, three companies ranked in the top 500, 13 landed in the top 25 percent, and 22 were in the top 50 percent.

The VIP program includes six educational training curriculums for owners, principals, and C-level executives of VOSB/SDVOSBs: VIP START, VIP GROW, VIP ADVANCE, VIP INTERNATIONAL, VIP AEROSPACE, and VIP CORPORATE. To date, VIP has trained over 3,000 Veteran-owned companies across all 50 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, and Guam.

Click here to see who made the list.

The VIP Graduate companies featured on the list include: