Sew What? Included in Inc. 5000 List for the Fifth Time

For the fifth time, US theatrical drapery manufacturer Sew What? Inc. has been recognized on the prestigious Inc. 5000 List. The Inc. 5000 is an annual list of the 5,000 fastest-growing, private US-based companies. Companies making the list have been ranked according to the percentage growth of their annual revenue over a three-year period.

Sew What? Inc., an entertainment industry manufacturer of custom drapes, backdrops, pipe and drape, and soft goods, first appeared on the Inc. 5000 list in 2007. The company did not apply for 2008, but did so for 2009 and each year following, making 2012 the fifth time they have made the list.

"This is a huge deal for us," said company founder and president Megan Duckett, "It validates the point that a commitment to innovation and the willingness to put our customer at the center of our business model is fundamentally sound."

The stage drapery company began in the mid 1990's when Duckett, who immigrated to the US from Australia at the age of 19, started sewing props and drapes on her kitchen table as a side-line to her work on rock and roll tours.

In just over a decade, by the time it first appeared on the Inc. 5000 list, the company had moved twice and grown to over 30 employees.

Recently, Duckett called upon those in the industry to rally behind American-made products and to support US companies where possible.

Duckett credits recent growth to a social media commitment, which has reached new markets, provided deeper product understanding, and helped to maintain an informative online presence.

"Relying on word of mouth, even having a good company website alone, is not the way of the future." she said. "You have to be where the client is. By embracing formats such as YouTube and Flickr, you give the customer greater access to your products and allow them the opportunity to spread your story."

Recently, Sew What?, along with its sister company, Rent What? Inc., launched robust channels on both Flickr and YouTube and provided cross-links to their own websites. As a result, prospective customers can scroll through photos of the drapes, watch videos of actual concert performances featuring the curtains and backdrops, and of course, visit the main website and the SewWhat Inc. blog to get greater detail on the companies' offerings.

"We're very proud to have made it on the Inc. 5000 List yet again. But I appreciate, especially in this economy, that it's taken every one of us," added Duckett.