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For the second straight year, Inc. magazine has named DRE, Inc., a premier surgical and medical equipment supplier, to its annual Inc. 5000 list of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies.

DRE provides medical facilities throughout the world with an assortment of new and refurbished equipment, including patient monitors, anesthesia machines, surgical lights, and electrosurgical generators. The company’s refurbished offerings make it a nice option for facilities who want to stretch their dollars in this economy.

“We are honored and humbled to make the list again in this tough economic climate,” said Mike Spencer, DRE managing partner. “With businesses everywhere tightening their belts, we have taken nothing for granted. We will continue to work hard to capitalize on every opportunity.”

For five years, Inc. (www.inc.com), a business magazine dedicated to owners and managers of growing private companies, has ranked the fastest-growing private companies in the United States. The top 500 companies are featured in the print edition; the list of 5000 is available online. Online retailer ideeli tops this year’s list. Other companies on the list include Spirit Airlines, television maker Vizio, Honest Tea, and Dunkin Donuts, among other prominent brands featured on this year’s list.

"Now, more than ever, we depend on Inc. 500/5000 companies to spur innovation, provide jobs, and drive the economy forward,” says Inc. magazine Editor Jane Berentson. “Growth companies, not large corporations, are where the action is.”

About DRE, Inc.

DRE is a premier medical and operating room equipment supplier. Since 1984, DRE has provided a combination of new and professionally refurbished or used medical equipment to industry professionals around the globe.

Emergency responders in Minnesota trusted capnography to save the life of a man whose heart had stopped for 96 minutes, according to an NPR story.

Capnography showed that despite not having a pulse, Howard Snitzer had good carbon dioxide readings, suggesting that blood was still flowing to the heart and brain, causing emergency responders to keep administering CPR even though it would have been reasonable to stop. Medical personnel shocked Snitzer’s heart 12 times and gave intravenous drugs to restore a regular heartbeat.

As capnography equipment becomes standard for emergency responders, DRE offers the DRE Waveline EZ or the DRE Echo CO2.

As DRE’s new IT Manager, Keith Koebel will oversee a large computer network with two offsite locations.

Koebel will update the company’s technology, including adding connectivity for smartphones and touchpads for remote locations and employees on the road, and putting in new bandwidth to make the site quicker for customers and employees.

The challenge is to upgrade the company’s technology capabilities quickly without disrupting daily operations, he said.

“It’s working now, so I don’t want to break anything,” Koebel said. “You want to keep it up and running. There are a lot of upgrades I look forward to bringing on board. There is so much growth potential and opportunity in the technology.”

Koebel joins as DRE enjoys a period of prolonged growth. In the fall of 2010, DRE was honored in the Inc. Magazine 5000 as one of the fastest growing privately held businesses in the United States.

Koebel’s experience made him the right man for the job. He brings years of technical experience from local companies such as Republic Bank and Hilliard Lyons.

“Adding Keith provides a very strong foundation for the continued development of the business,” said Justin Jeffries, DRE marketing manager." As the company grows, we will continue to add people with the expertise needed to position DRE as a leader in medical equipment distribution."