NEW YORK, Aug. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. Magazine today ranked Open Systems Technologies No. 3801 on its 29th annual Inc. 500, an exclusive ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The list represents the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy—America's independent-minded entrepreneurs. Companies such as Microsoft, Zappos, Intuit, GoDaddy, Zipcar, Clif Bar, American Apparel, Oracle, and many other well-known names gained early exposure as members of the Inc. 500.
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"Fast growth at any time is a big achievement; fast growth during the past few years is just short of miraculous," said Inc. editor Jane Berentson. "The Inc. 500 consists of these just-short-of miraculous companies, the ones that through ingenuity and ambition have increased revenue, hired employees, and grown fast in difficult economic times."
About OST www.ostusa.com
OST (Open Systems Technologies) is an employee-owned, $34 million company with offices in Grand Rapids, Michigan and Minneapolis, Minnesota. We specialize in information technology and business process services concentrated in three industry verticals: Healthcare, Manufacturing & Distribution, and Finance & Insurance. Since 2003, the company has logged 30 percent compounded growth in revenue and in the number of employees. In 2007, 2008 and 2009, OST was recognized as one of America's fastest growing companies on Inc. 5000's Fastest-Growing Private Companies. OST was all listed on CRN's FastGrowth100 in 2007 and 2008 and on the Michigan 50 Companies to Watch in 2009.
The 2010 Inc. 500, unveiled in the September issue of Inc. magazine (available on newsstands August 24 to November 16 and on Inc.com), is a group of companies that are smaller but much faster-growing than last year's crop. Aggregate revenue is $11.3 billion—down from last year's $18.4 billion—but median three-year growth is 1,231 percent, substantially up from last year's 880.5 percent. The companies on this year's list employ more than 45,000 people. Complete results of the Inc. 500, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at Inc.com/500.
Despite the ongoing recession, the 2010 Inc. 500 offers a glimpse of the future of the U.S. economy. In the health sector, which saw aggregate revenue of $1.1 billion and a 917 percent median growth rate, businesses are moving forward on cancer and stem-cell research, clinical trials, and medication management. More than 25 percent of companies in the energy sector ($2.5 billion aggregate revenue; 942 percent median growth rate) focus on solar and other alternative sources. Fewer than a third of retailers ($356 million aggregate revenue; 914 percent median growth rate) have even a single brick-and-mortar store. And the number of companies providing technical services to the various branches of the federal government continues to rise.
The Hottest Regions for Fast-Growing Companies
California continues to rule the roost by number of companies on the Inc. 5000, with 92, up from 84 last year and 78 in 2008. The Golden State is followed by Texas (52), Virginia (46), New York (36), and Florida (29). These five states place in the same order as last year, and each of them has more companies on the 500 than last year. They now account for more than half of the companies on the list.
The New York City and Washington, D.C., metropolitan areas both gain companies this year, and New York has catches up with Washington, with each of them boasting 48 Inc. 5000 companies. (Washington had 42 last year; New York had 36.) San Francisco moves up from fifth to third place, with 29 companies (up nine from last year) Los Angeles drops from third to fourth place, with 27 companies (down nine from last year); and Dallas joins the top five, with 23 companies. Chicago drops out of the top five.
Methodology
The 2010 Inc. 500 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2006 to 2009. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by June 30, 2006. Additionally, they had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2009. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2006 is $80,000; the minimum for 2009 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. The companies of the Inc. 500 represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at www.inc.com/500.
SOURCE Open Systems Technologies
