Star Products Inc. was rated No. 266 on the 1986 INC. 500, a list of America’s fastest-growing, privately held companies, Inc. Magazine announced in a congratulatory letter to Tony Cuccio, president of Star Products.

The December 1986 issue of INC. Magazine explained that to qualify, a company must be independent and privately held. The rankings are based on the percentage increase in sales during a five-year period. For 1986, INC. considered more qualifying companies than ever before.

Verifying information to select the top 500 “is a painstaking task that falls mainly to our summer interns,” the magazine reported, adding, “and while it is not the most intellectually stimulating job, it is also not without its lighter moments and long-term compensations. We remember Chauncy Lennon’s question to the chief executive officer of Star Nail Products Inc. about the impact of the housing boom on his sales: It was only then that Chauncy discovered that Star Nail makes acrylic fingernails, not construction spikes.”

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