9 fast-growing Utah firms make Inc.'s 500 list

Nine Utah companies made Inc. magazine's list of the nation's top 500 fastest-growing private companies in an annual ranking released today.

The magazine tracked cumulative year-over-year sales growth of the privately held companies from 2001 to 2004.

Virginia ranked first in the highest number of Inc. 500 companies per capita with 4.5 companies per million residents. Massachusetts ranked second at 4, and Utah ranked third at 3.7.

Companies included in the rankings posted an average three-year sales growth of 769 percent.

Utah companies on this year's list, and their rankings, are:

• Die Cuts With a View, Provo, 70.

• Edge Products, Ogden, 89.

• MaxStream, Lindon, 92.

• Arena Communications, Salt Lake City, 123.

• iBahn, South Jordan, 253.

• Omniture, Orem, 259.

• Summit Energy, Park City, 291.

• VitalSmarts, Provo, 293.

• Back to Basics, Bluffdale, 389.

The combined 500 companies generated 25,180 new jobs in the past year, Inc. magazine reported, a 35 percent year-over increase.

Video Gaming Technologies, a South Carolina-based company that makes touchscreen gambling machines for casinos, ranked first on the list, showing a three-year sales growth of 9,720 percent.

California was the state with the greatest number of Inc. 500 companies with 77, up from 67 the previous year.

Washington, D.C., was the top metropolitan region with 42 companies, up from 13 a year ago.

To be eligible for the list, companies had to be based in the United States, had to be privately held through fiscal year 2004 and had to have at least $500,000 in net sales in the 2001 base year. All sales information was verified using tax forms and audited financial statements.

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