NEW YORK, August 18, 2021 – Inc. magazine today revealed that Jonas Paul Eyewear is No. 777 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy’s most dynamic segment—its independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.
“When my wife, Laura, and I launched Jonas Paul Eyewear after the birth of our son, we had no idea that the business would grow to what it is today,” said Ben Harrison, CEO and co-founder of Jonas Paul Eyewear. “We had hopes and dreams, of course, that our responding to a challenging situation with a mindset of helping others would make a significant impact in the world, but are truly encouraged that the company has become what it is today."
Not only have the companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but this year’s list also proved especially resilient and flexible given 2020’s unprecedented challenges. Among the 5,000, the average median three-year growth rate soared to 543 percent, and median revenue reached $11.1 million. Together, those companies added more than 610,000 jobs over the past three years.
Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are featured in the September issue of Inc., which will be available on newsstands on August 20.
“The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled,” says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. “Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis we’ve lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people.”
Ben and Laura Harrison founded Jonas Paul Eyewear in 2013 after their son, Jonas, was born with a rare eye condition that rendered him blind. After self-funding the business for two years, the Harrisons secured a seed round in 2015 and Cliff Bartow, one of the initial investors and former CEO of Lenscrafters, came on board to assist with the new venture. Shortly thereafter, the brand launched the first children's home try-on kit for consumers and added a state-of-the-art lab to the Grand Rapids headquarters, where the company fulfills prescriptions in-house. In 2018, Jonas Paul added more industry executives to its list of investors in a Seed Plus investment round, where Kerry Bradley, former CEO of Luxottica Retail North America, and Dave Browne, former Co-CEO of Luxottica Group, participated.
Today, the brand offers a full collection of kids and teen prescription glasses with more than 100 different styles for ages 4-18, as well as a line of non-prescription sunglasses for kids and teens. The kids glasses and teen glasses range from $55 to $89, including prescription lenses, with prescription sunglasses and blue light blocking lenses available. Conveniently, the company also offers an at-home try-on program and phone application that simplifies the buying process. Along with offering glasses for kids, many adults find these to be the perfect glasses for small faces.
With each purchase, Jonas Paul Eyewear helps provide sight to children and families in need through their Buy Sight, Give Sight program, which has helped 834,702+ people around the world to date in need of care for preventative blindness and is set to hit their goal of reaching 1M people by Q3 2021.
In addition to their online direct-to-consumer business, Jonas Paul Eyewear is also available in more than 3,200 optical centers nationwide, including 2,800 Walmart Vision Centers, over 200 Eyemart Express locations, and over 200 BJ's Wholesale locations.
More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000:
Methodology
Companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2017. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2020. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2017 is $100,000; the minimum for 2020 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to three decimal places. There was one tie on this year’s Inc. 5000. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.’s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.
About Inc. Media
The world’s most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multi-platform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including web sites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Vision Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.
For more information on the Inc. 5000 Vision Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/.
CONTACT:
Courtney Selvius | Jonas Paul Eyewear
courtney@jonaspaul.com
Phone: 616-723-8039
To view the official press release, head over to PRNewswire.
