The 2026 Inc. 5000 is out, and businesses from across South Carolina once again have a strong presence among some of the fastest-growing private companies in the country.
Published annually, the Inc. 5000 ranks privately held, for-profit and independent companies based on percentage revenue growth over a three-year period. Making the list puts companies alongside thousands of businesses across the country that are navigating growth, adding customers, expanding their teams and finding new opportunities in a changing economy.
This year, 56 South Carolina companies earned a spot on the list, including five Charleston Metro Chamber members.
Five Chamber Members Make the 2026 Inc. 5000
The five Chamber members recognized this year operate in very different corners of the business community, from manufacturing technology and IT to home services, workforce training and transportation.
Charleston-based Sapience Automation designs and builds automated production, assembly and inspection systems for manufacturers. Its work includes turnkey automation systems, robotics integration, custom machine design and engineering support, with technology ranging from AI-powered vision and smart sensors to robotics and advanced controls.
Rudd Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electrical
Founded in 2014, Rudd Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electrical is a locally owned home services company serving Charleston and communities throughout the Lowcountry. The company provides HVAC, plumbing and electrical services for residential and light-commercial customers.
Headquartered in Myrtle Beach and serving Charleston and markets throughout the Carolinas, Carolina Limousine & Coach provides luxury ground transportation for corporate travel, group events, airport transfers, weddings, tours and other occasions. Its fleet includes full-size motorcoaches, mini coaches, trolleys, limousines and black car service.
The company was founded in 2007 and has grown from a one-vehicle operation into a regional transportation provider.
Mount Pleasant-based Luma Brighter Learning brings learning science and technology together to help organizations improve safety, compliance and workforce performance. Its connected learning platform uses science and data to help companies manage training, measure learning performance and encourage behavior change, with a particular focus on the transportation and supply chain industries.
Headquartered in North Charleston, Cantey Tech provides managed IT, cybersecurity, cloud services and technology consulting to businesses and organizations. Founded in 2007, the company has grown beyond Charleston with offices across South Carolina, Florida and Virginia.
Together, these five companies offer a good snapshot of the different ways businesses are growing across our region and state. Their industries may look very different, but each has found an opportunity to build, expand and compete on a national level.
South Carolina’s Growing Companies Make a Strong Showing
A total of 56 South Carolina companies made the 2026 Inc. 5000, up from 55 in 2025.
The list only captures one segment of the state’s business community, but the number and range of South Carolina companies represented offers another encouraging sign of the state’s economic climate. These businesses have sustained significant growth across industries and markets, with nearly half of this year’s South Carolina honorees coming from the Charleston region.
24 Charleston-Area Companies Make the List
The Charleston-North Charleston metro accounted for 24 of South Carolina’s 56 companies on the 2026 Inc. 5000.
In addition to Chamber members Sapience Automation, Rudd Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electrical, Luma Brighter Learning and Cantey Tech, the Charleston-area companies recognized include:
- Polish Pops — Mount Pleasant
- Churnkey — Mount Pleasant
- Javvy — Mount Pleasant
- PINCH — Mount Pleasant
- Sullivan Services — Mount Pleasant
- Anchor Heating and Air — Charleston
- BusinessLoans.com — Charleston
- Cowboy’s Logistics — Charleston
- The Thumbs Up Guys — North Charleston
- Case Status — Charleston
- VirtuAlly — Charleston
- Curated Vacation Properties — Mount Pleasant
- ITC Defense — North Charleston
- Fathom 4 — Charleston
- Palmetto Publishing — Mount Pleasant
- Sweetgrass Psychiatry — Mount Pleasant
- In The Black Marketing & Consulting — Charleston
- Surety Bonds Direct — Mount Pleasant
- Sprouthouse Agency — Charleston
- Charleston Taekwondo — Mount Pleasant
Congratulations to Sapience Automation, Rudd Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electrical, Carolina Limousine & Coach, Luma Brighter Learning and Cantey Tech, along with all the Charleston-area and South Carolina companies recognized this year.
