The Inc. 500, which will be published on October 17, is an exclusive report on the companies and CEO's who are changing the face of American business. Noteworthy alumni include such household corporate names as Microsoft, Timberland, Dominos Pizza and Patagonia.

When American Manufacturing and Machine President Don Buckner began the company in 1994 from his home in Lake County, it was "he, himself alone, a cell-phone, and an old pick-up truck." With no other employees and all his manufacturing subbed out to others, Don started American Manufacturing and Machine, Inc. He sold septic-tank and pumper trucks across the U.S.

A few years later, armed with a new vision and an old desire to "create a brand name which means something, and which people would be proud to own," he launched VAC-TRON Equipment, which has created a market that didn't exist before. Today, the company is on a pace of $40 million in sales, an increase of 6,485 percent since 1994.

VAC-TRON's accomplishments have also resulted in the company receiving recognition this year as Lake County's Industry of the Year, and the Lake Sentinel/League of Cities Business Achievement winner, and in Buckner himself receiving recognition as one of Florida's Ernst and Young Entrepreneurs of the Year and as a young innovator in trenchless technology by Trenchless Technology Magazine. "We're thrilled to have made the prestigious Inc. 500," said Buckner.

VAC-TRON Equipment designs and manufactures portable environmental vacuum clean-up equipment which has dozens of industrial, private and municipal uses including directional drilling, physically locating  underground utility lines by vacuum, industrial clean-up, manhole and storm drain clean-out, and natural disaster clean-up. The company's yellow and black equipment seems to be "everywhere".

VAC-TRON has launched an international marketing campaign this year, and is adding product lines and products.

California tops the Inc. 500 list with 69 companies on the list and Texas is second with 39 firms. Virginia takes third with 32 companies. The fourth spot welcomes two newcomers to this year's list of top states- Florida and Illinois (24). Florida actually ranks as the state with the biggest gain in companies since last year, up nine companies. Georgia and Massachusetts (26) round out the top five, knocking out the state of New York.

A record 22 companies on the 2000 Inc. 500 broke the $100 million sales barrier, up from just 16 companies last year. Collective sales in 1999 by this year's companies topped $11 billion, with a 1,632% average sales growth from 1995 to 1999. The collective number of workers employed by this year's Inc. 500 companies reached 84,258-a 25% increase in jobs from 1999.

A look at the Inc. 500 by sector indicates that the computer software and services sector dominates the rankings (38% of the 500). Other sectors represented on this year's list include: diversified services (17%), materials and construction (6%) and telecommunications (6%).

This marks the 19th year that Inc. has charted the progress of America's most innovative and successful entrepreneurs. To be eligible for the Inc. 500, companies have to be independent and privately held through 1999, have at least $200,000 in sales in the base year, 1995, and their 1999 sales must have exceeded their 1998 sales. The ranking is based on the percentage increase in sales from 1995 through 1999. Holding companies, regulated banks and regulated utilities are not eligible. Inc. verified all information using tax forms and financial statements from certified public accountants and by conducting interviews with company officials.

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