XanGo tops list of entrepreneurs

Lehi-based nutritional supplement maker XanGo LLC took the top spot in this year's "Top 25 Under Five" Awards ceremony Thursday.

The awards, presented by the Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum, are designed to spotlight Utah entrepreneurs. Competing companies are judged based on profit, growth, equity funding, job creation and job quality.

"Utah entrepreneurs are demonstrating the strength of our economy and the innovative strategic thinking found in Utah," John Richards, board chairman for the nonprofit UVEF, said in a prepared statement.

"These 2005 Top 25 Under Five Award winners represent the best of Utah's vibrant but growing, small-business community."

XanGo markets a mangosteen beverage known as XanGo Juice in the United States and other countries around the world, including Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and Canada.

Rounding out the top five in this year's contest were:

• Seastone, a packaging design company in Provo.

• VitalSmarts, a Provo-based provider of best-practices training and consulting research.

• Veevix Inc., a software company based in Provo.

• TrueNorthLogic, a Sandy provider of Web-based applications for the education market.

The Top 25 Under Five Awards have recognized the development of more than 100 entrepreneurs and their companies in the past five years, including companies like Altiris and Omniture.

The UVEF, founded in 1989, promotes the development and growth of entrepreneurial ventures.