Retired Navy Pilot’s Company Soars as One of Nation’s Fastest-Growing Businesses

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla.--The National Safety Commission is one of the nation’s top 100 fastest-growing private companies, according to Inc. magazine, a leading national business news publication whose 26th annual list of the top-500 fastest-growing firms hits newsstands today. The Ponte Vedra Beach firm is America’s No. 2 fastest-growing educational company and ranks No. 91 overall with an amazing three-year sales growth rate of 1,612.8 percent.

Microsoft, E-Trade, and Domino’s Pizza are among the companies that have achieved this listing in the past. “If you want to find out which companies are going to change the world, look at the Inc. 500,” said Inc. Editor Jane Berentson. “These are the most innovative, dynamic, fast-growing companies in the nation.”

“It’s an honor to be recognized for our growth and achievement,” said National Safety Commission CEO Ken Underwood, who also co-founded the Vote Jacksonville campaign to return U.S. Navy jets to Cecil Field last year (www.VoteJacksonville.com). "We attribute our success to the great team we’ve assembled and our efforts to be part of something great.” The National Safety Commission is one of several companies that Underwood owns. “Right now we’re working on a dozen special projects including RoysClub.com (what Underwood calls a AAA card on steroids), TOGA Insurance, and a music website that could revolutionize how the industry functions,” Underwood said.

Inc. magazine also featured a spread comparing Underwood, a retired U.S. Navy pilot, with fellow Naval Officer Roger Staubach, the Dallas Cowboys football legend who created a multi-billion dollar commercial real estate company. In 1985, Staubach’s company was also listed at No. 91 in Inc.’s fastest-growing companies list - the same year Underwood earned his wings as a Navy pilot. Both men served in the Navy, both are successful businessmen, and both men share the same number of children – five. “When they first told me they were going to compare my life with Roger Staubach, I thought they were out of their minds, but the article turned out better than I thought. Still, it’s quite a stretch,” Underwood said.

In addition to generating revenue, Underwood’s National Safety Commission works to deliver potentially lifesaving defensive-driving and traffic-safety information to the general public. This commitment to public safety was on display at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. last month during the launch of the “Move Over, America” campaign aimed at protecting law enforcement officers and emergency responders along America’s highways.

“Having a company that also provides educational platforms that can potentially save lives makes us take our business very seriously. I urge all drivers to visit www.MoveOverAmerica.com,” Underwood said.

The Inc. 500 list is Inc. magazine’s tribute to American business ingenuity and ambition. Complete information on this year’s Inc. 500, including company profiles and a list of the fastest-growing companies can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000.

The National Safety Commission, which operates online driving safety courses through various websites including www.LowestPriceTrafficSchool.com, is America’s leader in driver safety training, providing courses to consumers and businesses in every state and in more than a dozen countries. The Ponte Vedra Beach based company was founded in 2002 and currently has 75 employees. For more information, visit www.nationalsafetycommission.com.

The “Move Over, America” campaign to educate drivers about the “Move Over” laws protecting officers in 42 states is a partnership between the National Safety Commission, the National Sheriffs’ Association and the National Association of Police Organizations. More information is available at www.MoveOverAmerica.com.