Inc. 500 Reveals America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies
New York (October 20, 2004) – Inc. Magazine, the premier publication for small and medium-sized businesses, today released its 23 rd annual Inc. 500 ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in the country. Financial and healthcare IT services provider, ecfirst.com, Home of the HIPAA Academy, ranks #315 on the list and under the Category of IT Services ranks #35, with four/five year average annual sales growth of 115.8%. The Inc. 500 Special Issue will appear on newsstands October 26 and will be on display until December 21, 2004.
“The best thing you can say about this year’s crop of Inc. 500 entrepreneurs is that they didn’t buy into the hype,” said Inc. editor-in-chief John Koten. “When people were practically giving away funding in the late 1990s, these companies didn’t overextend, and when everyone hit the panic button a few years later, they stayed calm and seized opportunity.”
“ecfirst.com is passionate about IT services we deliver to clients in the financial and healthcare industries,” said ecfirst.com President and co-founder Allen Nguyen. “A boot-strapped business, ecfirst.com, understands that success is dependent on our clients receiving tremendous value in every engagement, in every interaction with our organization. Our first client five years ago is today our largest client. At our core we are a humble, hard working unit devoted to earning the trust of our clients.”
The Inc. 500 ranks privately held companies according to averaged year-over-year sales growth over the past four years. With approximately 75% of all new job creation in the U.S. coming from small businesses, the Inc. 500 is a prescient indicator of the companies and industries that are driving the economy forward. Eighty-five companies (17%) on this year’s Inc. 500 say they plan to go public at some point. Over the years, the Inc. 500 has identified the next generation of world-class companies, with Microsoft, Stonyfield Farms, Timberland, Oracle, The Princeton Review, Morningstar, E* Trade, Intuit, and Domino’s Pizza all appearing on the list before they became industry powerhouses.
Entrepreneurs leading IT Services, Financial Services, Health, and Advertising and Marketing are poised to do the most hiring over the next year. The industries with the strongest showing on this year’s list are IT Services, Health, Financial Services, and Business Services (based on number of companies in the sector).
To be eligible for this year's Inc. 500, companies had to be independent and privately held through their fiscal year 2003, have had at least $200,000 in net sales in the base year of 1999 for Inc. 500 alumni and 2000 for new applicants, and $2 million in net sales for 2003. In addition, their 2003 sales had to exceed 2002 sales. Companies are ranked on averaged year-over-year sales growth. Inc. verifies all information using tax forms and audited financial statements from certified public accountants and by conducting interviews with company officials.
About ecfirst.com
ecfirst.com specializes in delivering IT services in the financial and healthcare industry segments. Healthcare IT services are delivered through its division, HIPAA Academy. ecfirst.com delivers solutions that result in increased efficiency, lower costs, and enhanced application features of value to customers. Our expertise in the financial industry has enabled the development of enterprise application architectures, increased performance of Web solutions, and database repository designs that support enterprise systems. With expert knowledge of technologies that include Linux or Windows, Java or .NET, ecfirst.com’s practice teams are driven by client business challenges. ecfirst.com clients include Wells Fargo, Principal Financial and many other organizations.
About the HIPAA Academy
The HIPAA Academy, a division of ecfirst.com, ( www.HIPAAacademy.Net ) is the gold standard in the industry for HIPAA consulting, training and certification. HIPAA Academy delivers solutions in the areas of HIPAA Professional Services, HIPAA Advisory Services, HIPAA Risk Analysis, Gap Analysis, Security Policy development, HIPAA Audit and Evaluation and HIPAA Training and Certification. HIPAA Academy clients include Hospitals, several State governments, including the State of Oregon, Iowa and Illinois, as well as many county governments, long term care organizations and many others.
HIPAA Academy ’s Certified HIPAA Security Specialist (CHSS) program is a fast-growing certification program whose attendees include CISSPs, RSA Security and many hospitals and government agencies. The HIPAA Academy’s Getting Started with HIPAA and The Seven Steps to HIPAA Security Compliance are the best-selling texts at several sites, including www.Amazon.com and www.BN.com. The HIPAA Academy has developed a customized set of security policy templates to meet the requirements of the legislation. These are exclusively available at www.HIPAAacademy.Net.
About Inc.
Inc. , the only business magazine dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of fast-growing private companies, delivers real solutions for today's innovative company builders. It provides hands-on tools and market-tested strategies for managing people, finances, sales, marketing and technology. Inc. is the premier publication that focuses on small to medium-size businesses, which are responsible for more than half the nation's gross domestic product and 75% of its new jobs. And Inc. looks beyond work to address the entrepreneurial lifestyle. Inc., a Gruner + Jahr USA publication, inspires and informs, with cutting-edge coverage that reflects our readers' energy, brashness, and imagination.
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