2002 Press Releases

Aquire Named To This Year's Inc 500 Ranking of Fastest Growing Private Companies

Irving, TX - October 9, 2002 - Aquire, Inc. has been named as one of America's entrepreneurial growth leaders by Inc magazine, which today released its 2002 Inc 500 ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The ranking will appear in the magazine's special Inc 500 issue, which hits newsstands October 15.

Aquire produces organizational charting software that allows companies to automate the process of creating org charts while maintaining accurate human resource information. During the past five years, the company experienced a 1,296 percent increase in overall sales.

"I have had my sights set on an Inc 500 ranking since I was 19 years old. To be recognized as an Inc 500 company is an achievement beyond description, particularly in the current economy," said Lois Melbourne, chief executive officer and co-founder of Aquire. "When my husband Ross and I founded Aquire in 1994, we knew what every successful entrepreneur knows ? that success is never achieved alone. As a result, we continue to employ and partner with the industry's best in developing new and innovative products that meet critical business needs for companies around the world."

Started in 1982, the Inc 500 ranks the nation's leading entrepreneurial firms according to sales growth over the previous five years. Former Inc 500 companies that have gone to become household names include Microsoft, Timberland, Domino's Pizza and Patagonia.

The 2002 Inc 500 reveals a surprising resiliency within the entrepreneurial sector, where leading companies are continuing to show dramatic rates of growth despite the recession.

The average five-year growth rate of this year's Inc 500 companies is 1,521 percent. While that is less than the 1,933 average for companies on last year's list, it is nonetheless dramatic in the current environment. Average 2001 sales for the Inc 500 dropped only slightly, from $24,976,000 to 24,706,000. More than two-thirds (73 percent) of 2002 Inc 500 companies are profitable.

Despite the technology bust, "Computer Software and Services" remains the leading industry category, representing nearly 40 percent of firms on the list.

"This is the first Inc 500 ranking to reflect the full impact of the recession," said Inc editor John Koten. "Yet these entrepreneurs are managing to confound the naysayers and move ahead despite the obstacles. They're showing that smart strategies can succeed even in the toughest of times."

To be eligible for this year's Inc 500, companies had to be independent and privately held through their fiscal year 2001, have at least $200,00 in sales in the base year of 1997, and their 2001 sales had to have exceeded 2000 sales. Holding companies, regulated banks and utilities are not eligible. Inc verifies information using tax forms and financial statements from certified public accountants and by conducting interviews with company officials.

About Aquire, Inc.
Founded in 1994, Irving, Texas-based Aquire, Inc. develops Internet/Intranet-based, organizational charting software used by more than 1,700 organizations in more than 53 countries. Customers include American Airlines, Braun Gillette, Colgate-Palmolive, Compaq Computers, Reliant Energy, Verizon, among others. With more than three million individuals charted worldwide, OrgPublisher for Intranets, the company's flagship product, continues to be the interactive org charting software of choice by many of the Fortune 500's elite. Stand-alone or combined, Aquire's products OrgPublisher and OrgBuilder provide the most comprehensive tools for creating, maintaining, distributing, and analyzing organizational information across the enterprise.

Aquire has received numerous awards recognizing its growth, product quality and service record. In November 2001, Deloitte & Touche named Aquire as one of the nation's 500 fastest-growing companies. Aquire has also been recognized by Software Magazine for being a Top 500 company, and by the Dallas Business Journal for three consecutive years as one of the 50 fastest-growing, high-tech companies in Dallas-Fort Worth. The company also received the Greater Dallas Chamber International Business Achievement Award for small businesses and the Small Business Administration's Exporter of the Year Award.

Click here for more information about Aquire's organization charting software solutions.