After starting operations in basement, Sioux Falls' Silencer Central named to Inc. 5000

Since starting a gun silencer company in 2005 inside his basement, Silencer Central has grown exponentially and has now been named to a prestigious list of U.S. businesses. 

The Inc. 5000 lists the top fastest-growing private companies in the country, and Silencer Central, a company that sells gun silencers, is the top Sioux Falls business on the list. There were 10 South Dakota businesses selected on the list. 

Owner Brandon Maddox hosted an event Tuesday to celebrate, where a number of government officials were also in attendance, including Gov. Kristi Noem, U.S Rep. Dusty Johnson and Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken. 

Previously: Silencer Central opens newly renovated headquarters in Sioux Falls

Silencer Central moved into a newly-renovated headquarters in late July. It's a 47,389-square-foot building that was previously owned by Cigna Tel-Drug. There are roughly 125 employees, according to Maddox. 

"I think everyone in this room would agree that there's probably a lot of parts of the country that this business wouldn't have been able to grow and would not have been able to be successful, so we're very fortunate to be in Sioux Falls (and) very fortunate to be in South Dakota," Maddox said. "We're very fortunate that our elected officials think the way that we do from a pro-business, less taxes, pro-Second Amendment is very important."

In 2005, Maddox ran the business under the title South Dakota Silencer. Eventually, the business changed its name to Dakota Silencer. In 2019, the business renamed itself Silencer Central and now operates in 42 states where firearm suppressors are legal, making more than 100,000 firearm parts a year. It's the largest of its kind in the state. 

"A lot of times entrepreneurs like to inflate their growth and success and numbers and so forth but the Inc. 5000 list is one I put a lot of stock in because it really does measure year over year, top-line revenue growth," TenHaken said. "... If we could just carbon copy and do this all over the state, I think it'd be phenomenal." 

More: Sioux Falls firearm silencer dealer rebrands

There are around 100 employees who work out of the Sioux Falls location. 

Criteria for the Inc. 5000 include generating revenue by March 31, 2018, generating at least $100,000 in 2018 and $2 million in revenue during 2021.

Another criterion is the business must be privately held, for-profit based in the United States and independent (not a subsidiary or division of another company), according to the organization's website. The silencer company grew by 497%, according to data from the Inc. 5000. 

Businesses apply to the list and it was the first time the gun silencer company applied, according to Terra Vennard, director of marketing for Silencer Central. The business will be introducing a new product earlier this year, according to Vennard. 

More: Construction starts on $2.5 million Silencer Center renovation

Companies are ranked according to the percentage growth of their annual revenue over a three-year period. 

After a tour of the plant, Gov. Noem purchased a silencer for a rifle that she plans to use on a hunting trip to Alaska next year and spoke about her defense of the Second Amendment during her time in office.

"When I became governor, the very first bill we signed was constitutional carry, recognizing that at the end of the day, it comes down to our Constitution and our Bill of Rights and that the Second Amendment is important and it is something we need to defend in this day and age," Gov. Noem said. "... The right for us to carry and bear arms is something our founders envisioned (that) would be important to keep us free." 

Other South Dakota companies in Inc. 5000

• No. 598, Rising Hope Counseling, 1,062% growth, Pierre
• No. 614, Vanilla Bean Kings, 1,030% growth, Hartford
• No. 1,309, Silencer Central, 497% growth, Sioux Falls
• No. 1,631, Coop's Pretzels, 386% growth, Sioux Falls
• No. 1,708, Lauriebelles, 363% growth, Tea
• No. 1,909, American Consumer News, 317% growth, Sioux Falls 
• No. 2,120, CEGA Innovations, 282% growth, Sioux Falls 
• No. 3,181, Roto Mold, 167% growth, Tea
• No. 3,616, Weisser Distributing, 142% growth, Tea
• No. 4,520, Northland Sheds, 97% growth, Milbank