Inc. Magazine has recognized TUUCI as one of the nation’s top jobs creators, ranking the Miami-based maker of innovative shade structures eighth among manufacturing companies in the magazine’s inaugural “Hire Power Awards.” This new competition was created by Inc. to celebrate privately held companies on the forefront of American jobs creation. TUUCI created 67 new jobs from 2008 to 2011 for a total of 164 positions, placing it among Inc.’s top companies for jobs creation and eighth in the manufacturing segment. TUUCI’s workforce has grown by more than 40 percent between 1997 and 2011.

“This achievement is an amazing feat given that much of the job growth came during the heart of the recession,” said Inc. Editor-In-Chief Eric Schurenberg. “It isn’t just the big guys that are creating jobs, with nearly one-third of the companies on our Hire Power list in the mid to smaller range.”

TUUCI was founded in Miami in 1998 by Dougan Clarke who has redefined the shade category with distinctively designed parasols and shade structures made from marine grade components. The company’s leading edge creations have garnered a loyal customer base among upscale resorts and hotels, while also providing parasols for the nation’s leading quick service restaurants.

All of TUUCI’s products are handcrafted at its Miami corporate headquarters and manufacturing center, which has grown to more than 100,000 square feet. The privately owned company has also established a distribution network in Europe.

“Our commitment to the creation of quality jobs in Miami has always been a core element of the TUUCI mission,” Clarke said. “The Inc. Hire Power Awards illustrates how entrepreneurial companies focused on meeting unique customer needs through innovation can grow and thrive in almost any economic environment.”

The inaugural Inc. Hire Power Awards are sponsored by Bank of America Merrill Lynch. For more information, go to www.inc.com/hire-power.