It is an incredible honor to be recognized on Inc. Magazine’s 2020 list of the 5,000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America for the 8th year in a row.

Fresh landed at #845 on the list, with revenue growth of 564% from 2016 to 2019.

2020 has been an unusual year as we all learn to navigate COVID-19. The global crisis has generated obstacles no one could truly prepare for. Leigh Buchanan, Inc. Magazine’s Editor-At-Large,  says it well as she addresses the challenges paired with sustainable business growth amidst a global pandemic: “this year, the road ahead looks very different. Picture K2, only with more avalanches and less oxygen.”

One thing that has remained constant throughout this time of great uncertainty is Fresh’s commitment to our company, team, and customer values. These are principles that continuously guide us through vast challenges with a sense of purpose and confidence.

Fresh’s Acquisition of Uncorked Studios

Last November, we expanded our team by acquiring Portland, Oregon-based design and strategy firm Uncorked Studios. The addition of Uncorked’s partner base and expertise has helped us expand our strategy, innovation, and product design offerings. Fresh founder and CEO Jeff Dance accurately determined that the union would “mature our unique integrated position of bringing strategy, design, software, and hardware together to build meaningful innovation-as a service for our clients.”

This blend of creative minds and unique perspectives has allowed Fresh to remain agile in our ideations. A positive team environment with a genuine understanding of our customers leads to more fulfilling work — particularly during a period that demands unique levels of ingenuity.

Fresh’s Response to COVID-19

In the early days of the pandemic, we began utilizing our expertise in design, engineering, and innovation to support our communities on a local and global level. We constructed specific measures, which are detailed within our initial post regarding our COVID-19 response. These initiatives included:

• Worldwide Ventilator: In March 2020, Fresh began prototyping an open-source emergency ventilator device. You can learn more about the project here.
• Invent Value: We made Fresh’s internal innovation platform accessible to educational and non-profit institutions to generate more opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing.
• Manufacturing PPE: Our hardware team began working on a new design for more comfortable medical face shields, to be published as open source.

Our Next Steps

As we move forward, we feel prepared to take on new challenges and quickly adapt where we need to. Having a sense of optimism and resilience is essential to carry out our vision, especially through a global pandemic. For us, the nature of this time is all about listening to our communities with a growth mindset and staying agile in how we design, develop, and build.