Ideas That Evoke, a boutique social media agency based in Madison, was recently recognized as one of the “Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America” by Entrepreneur magazine’s Entrepreneur360™ Performance Index.

The Entrepreneur360™ Performance Index study delivers the most comprehensive analysis of private companies in America. Based on this study conducted by Entrepreneur, Evoke is a company that exemplifies growth, not just in top and bottom line, but in sustainability and ability to achieve lasting success.

Evoke was named to the the index’s Best Practicers category, which identifies companies operating in rapid-growth industries, are national and international in focus and emphasize employee empowerment through distributed decision-making, transparency and frequent communication throughout the organization.

“At Ideas That Evoke, we’re incredibly passionate about leveraging the power of social and digital mediums to solve business challenges,” said Kelly Ehlers, Founder and CEO. “We’ve been–and continue to be–on the forefront of social innovation, which has led to our rapid growth and strong client roster.”

Ehlers launched Ideas That Evoke in 2009 and has grown the agency into a social media powerhouse in the beauty, lifestyle and luxury brand space, working with clients including Elizabeth Arden and various Procter and Gamble brands.

“Those honored have identified a problem, come up with a unique solution, and bravely built their enterprises around it,” says Ryan Shea, president of Entrepreneur Media. “They’ve accomplished new ways of producing sustainable growth and are an inspiration to others who want to fulfill their own entrepreneurial goals.”

Through in-depth surveys, the team of editors and researchers behind the Entrepreneur360™ Performance Index collected more than 250 pieces of data from hundreds of participating U.S. based companies, focusing on growth drivers and challenges, goal setting, resource allocations, and reward systems.

The analysis uncovered a subset of companies including Ideas That Evoke, whose continued success is largely based on superior value creation for their customers, building an adaptive learning culture, and aggressive geographic expansion—making them the most dynamic firms in America today.

According to research conducted by the Business Dynamics Research Consortium (BDRC), less than one percent of U.S. businesses expanded capacity three or more years out of the past five.  On average, companies included in the Entrepreneur360™ Performance Index grew by 41 percent over the period whereas all other surviving companies lost an average of 4 percent.

Based on their analysis of 19.1 million for-profit US businesses, sustained growers are statistically more likely to survive and continue to grow over the next five years than any other group of businesses in the economy.

“The companies identified in the Entrepreneur360™ Performance Index are sustained growers, and based on our research, have proven adept at navigating the changing challenges of their marketplace to win new business and grow their output capacity year after year,” says Gary Kunkle, senior research fellow at the Business Dynamics Research Consortium at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and research partner of the Entrepreneur360™ Performance Index.

For additional details on the Entrepreneur360™ Performance Index and the companies recognized, visit: http://entm.ag/E360Index