A three-year sales growth of nearly 174 percent has earned Crown Point-based ESW Inc. recognition as one of the country's 5,000 fastest growing private companies. In its August issue, Inc. Magazine ranked the 21-year old industrial training company 2125th on its 2008 list of 5,000 firms.

In addition, ESW was honored as 22nd of the top 50 in the magazine's education division and 82nd of the top 100 companies in the Chicago area. The list represents a comprehensive look at companies established by America's independent-minded entrepreneurs, said Julie Yoways, ESW Inc. division manager.

"Taken as a whole, these companies represent the backbone of the U.S. economy," Yoways said.

Located at 670 N. Madison St., ESW was founded in 1987 by three steel mill veterans -- Gene Barbee, Larry Caldwell and Jim Razumich.

The company provides customized technical training and engineering services to many industries throughout the United States, including steel mills, refineries, manufacturing plants, health care facilities and energy plants, as well as for the U.S. government. In addition to its headquarters in Crown Point, ESW maintains a divisional office in Poland, Ohio, that serves clients from Detroit to Texas.

"We provide clients with individual craft apprenticeships," said General Manager Dave Bartlett.

These include programs in hydraulics, robotics, HVAC and welding. In addition, ESW offers training on new equipment being installed at a plant and to help a client's employees upgrade their skills or cross-train to meet company needs.

And if a client needs a project manager or a project engineer to oversee construction or installation of equipment, ESW can also supply those technical resources, Bartlett said.

Being able to adjust to the changing industrial market has helped grow the company, he said.

"The beauty of ESW is that we can contract or expand with the industries," Bartlett said. "There was a time when the steel mills contracted. Now steel, refineries, power plants and manufacturing are leading industries."

ESW has furnished more than 15,000 weeks of in-house and in-plant training, Bartlett said. Training is primarily hands-on so that students can gain real-life knowledge from applied demonstrations and examples.

But what makes ESW unique is the kind of employees the firm seeks, he said. All employees have at least 20 to 30 years experience working in the industries that use ESW services.

"We have guys who are on their second or third career," Bartlett said. "They have been there and done that. Industries are now using that experience as baby boomers are retiring."

In fact, retirees and former military personnel make up the majority of those employed by ESW, Yoways said. Part-time, full-time and temporary positions are available, she said.

This is the second time Inc. Magazine has honored ESW. In 1992, the magazine ranked the company 302nd on its list of 500 fast-growing companies. ESW was also recently honored for its growth by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and for its commitment to hiring veterans by the American Legion.