Starkville company that began as a classroom project ranks among the top 0.5 percent of private companies in America
STARKVILLE, Miss., August 17, 2023 – The Glo Companies, the Starkville-based maker of Glo Pals and Glo Cubes, has been named to the 2023 Inc. 5000, Inc. magazine’s annual ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States. Glo ranked No. 3,563 on the list, which is based on revenue growth over a three-year period.
“Making the list constitutes, I think, the top 0.5 percent of the fastest-growing private companies in America,” said Hagan Walker, CEO and co-founder of The Glo Companies. “For us as a small company in Starkville, Mississippi, that started out of a classroom project, that’s pretty cool to be in that top percent.”
Glo started in 2015 as a light-up drink cube company and entered the toy space in 2018. Today its product line features original characters alongside Sesame Street favorites. Walker credited the company’s growth to a revamp of its signature Glo Pals, a push to diversify sales channels and international distribution, and the addition of larger domestic retail partners including Macy’s, Kohl’s and Nordstrom.
After expanding into Canada in 2022, Glo products are now carried by retailers around the globe, including in Iceland, Poland, Romania and Australia.
“We are being more prevalent as an omnichannel company, meaning that you’re not just relying on one sales channel,” Walker said. “You have a multitude of sales channels that you’re focused on so that when things like a pandemic hit, there’s enough diversification through your sales channels to kind of keep things going. For us, we’ve really made a lot of strides with that.”
Even as national accounts have grown, independent specialty retailers remain central to the business. “When we started out, that really was our bread and butter,” Walker said. “It’s slowly transitioning, but we still have a very soft spot for what we call our specialty retailers, those mom-and-pop stores across the U.S. that really kind of gave us a chance to start.”
“We have been so fortunate to have the support of our local community, as well as our consumers,” said Anna Barker, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer. “But most importantly, we have an amazing team who has helped propel our business and get us to this milestone in our company history.”
The Inc. 5000 has recognized the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States every year since 1982. The full list is available at inc.com/inc5000. This announcement was originally covered by The Dispatch at cdispatch.com.
About The Glo Companies
The Glo Companies is a children’s sensory toy and interactive content company headquartered in Starkville, Mississippi, with additional offices in Birmingham, Alabama. Founded in 2015, the company began with Glo Cubes, light-up drink cubes for bars and restaurants, and entered the toy space in 2018 with Glo Pals, water-activated light-up sensory toys now sold around the world. Learn more at glo.co.
Media Contact
Cecilia Wood, Communications Manager
pr@glo.co
Share this post on: