Pratt Industries has been named one of America's largest private companies by Forbes magazine.

It is the first time the company has been ranked in the Forbes list.

The prestigious business magazine listed Pratt Industries 181st of 223 companies in its annual survey. Companies had to have revenues of at least US$2 billion to qualify. It rated Pratt at US$2.5 billion.

An editor at Forbes said only 24 of the 233 companies were founded in 1985 or later, including Pratt.

Company chairman Anthony Pratt said the ranking was testament to the hard work of the company's 5,800 employees.

"I'm so proud of what this company and this team have achieved," he said. "We have gone from being the 46th largest corrugated packaging company in America to the 5th - and we are poised for even more growth in the years ahead."

In just the past 12 months, we have started up our 4th, 100 percent recycled paper mill in Valparaiso, In., opened a new corrugated box plant in Beloit, Wi. as well as a new recycling facility at corporate HQ in Conyers, Ga., and acquired Minnesota Corrugated Box in Albert Lea.