Mannatech also made this list. This is good news for Network Marketing as a whole, however, Forbes did not include privately held companies on the list. In my opinion, being publically held is a strike against a company in Network Marketing.

When evaluating a Network Marketing company, you want corporate management to serve the distributors of the company. If the distributors are compensated well for the work they do, they will continue to bring in new business. If a company is publically held, who does the management team serve? The distributors or the shareholders?

The 200 Best Small Companies looks for firms with sales between $5 million and $750 million. To qualify for the list, a company must have had a share price above $5 as of Sept. 29 on three-month average volume of 10,000 or more shares. Candidates also must carry profit margins of greater than 5 percent, with positive sales and profit growth, on average, over both the last five years and last 12 months.

* Chesterfield, Mo.-based Reliv International Inc. (Nasdaq: RELV) moved up this year to the No. 14 spot from a ranking of 43rd in 2005. This marks the second consecutive year the manufacturer and distributor of nutritional supplements, food products and skin care products has made the list.

4 St. Louis firms make Forbes 200 – St. Louis Business Journal: