Inc. magazine has ranked Papa Murphy’s International No. 3,673 on its first-ever Inc. 5,000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the country. The Inc. 5,000, an extension of Inc. magazine’s annual Inc. 500 list, catches many businesses that are too big to grow at the pace required to make the Inc. 500, as well as a host of smaller firms. Taken as a whole, these companies represent the backbone of the U.S. economy.

“The Inc. 5,000 provides the most comprehensive look ever at the most important part of the economy – the entrepreneurial part,” said Inc. 5,000 Project Manager Jim Melloan. “The expansion of the list has allowed us to tell the stories of larger companies, older companies, and a wealth of companies in industries like manufacturing and construction that are underreported in the business media.”

According to Clarice Turner, president and COO of Papa Murphy’s, making the Inc. 5,000 list is just icing on the cake. “We’ve had many reasons to celebrate this past month. For the fifth year in a row our customers have named us Best Pizza Chain in America1; we opened our 1,000th store on August 1st in our newest market—San Antonio; and we reached new heights in our category—we’re now the fifth largest pizza company in the country based on U.S. locations. The party continues with this accolade. It’s quite an exciting time in the company’s history.”

The 2007 Inc. 5,000, as revealed online at www.inc.com, reported median revenue of $9.4 million and median three-year growth of 140 percent. Complete information on this year’s Inc. 5,000, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000 . The list features a profile for each company, almost all of them written as a result of Inc. interviews with management. In addition, the list is searchable according to numerous criteria, including industry, city, state, region, and year founded.