Posted by Marcy Lindberg on 8/17/2016 to News

Inc. Magazine ranked Stardust Memorials #473 on its 34th Annual Inc. 500 | 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 -- independent, small businesses. Offering cremation urns and memorial products online, Stardust Memorials has grown 806% in the last three years as the company has focused on providing a wide range of cremation urns popular with today's families.

"The attitudes of American families toward funerals and memorialization are changing. Our company is listening to them and giving them more choices in cremation urns and memorial items," says CEO Jordan Lindberg. "It may seem odd at first to be shopping for a cremation urn online, but families appreciate that they can look for just the right urn -- on their own time -- and see different styles and price points."


What today's families want in a memorial can range from camo-patterned cremation urns to urns that biodegrade in the ocean to jewelry pendants that hold ashes. Stardust Memorials continues to seek out new memorial products to meet the needs of the evolving marketplace.

Based in Traverse City, Michigan, Stardust Memorials has over 26,000 urns on hand daily, its own in-house engraving shop, and a staff of 14 full-time and part-time employees. The company is owned by husband and wife, Jordan and Marcy Lindberg.

"Rising cremation rates and consumers' increased comfort level with shopping online are two drivers of our growth," says Marcy Lindberg. "We also attribute our success to a company-wide commitment to being helpful. To us, being helpful is broadly defined -- and includes goals like an easy-to-use website, lots of product images, helpful guides and videos, and -- of course -- always showing a caring attitude when communicating with people who have had a loss."


The 2016 Inc. 500 | 5000 -- unveiled online and in the September issue of Inc. -- is the most competitive crop in the list's history. The average company on the list achieved a mind-boggling three-year growth of 433%. The Inc. 5000's aggregate revenue is $200 billion, and the companies on the list collectively generated over 640,000 jobs over the past three years. The 2016 Inc. 500 | 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2012 to 2015. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2012. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent as of December 31, 2015. 

For more information on the Inc. 500 | 5000, visit www.inc.com/5000.

See Stardust Memorials' profile for the Inc. 500 at www.inc.com/profile/stardust-memorials.