Future 50 class full of small companies, aggressive entrepreneurs By Torrye Jones The Tennessean August 7, 2005

Entrepreneurial spirit is thriving in the Nashville area.

The Music City Future 50, an annual contest done by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, had nearly 30% more applicants this year, said Mike Neal, president and CEO of the chamber.

The contest highlights companies that are having rapid growth.

Of the 50 winners, more than half are first-time winners. Two have made the list three times before, and one company — Infrastructure Corporation of America — will be inducted into the Music City Future 50 Hall of Fame after making the list for the past five years.

There were 179 nominees.

This year's winners employ a total of 3,064 people, with an average of 61 employees each. That's fewer than last year's class, which employed 13,450 people.

In addition, the class of 2005 brings in a combined annual revenue of $900 million, averaging about $18 million each, which is slightly lower than last year's average of $21.9 million.

Based on an average salary of $34,850 per employee, this year's groups have an estimated $107 million economic impact on the community, down from an economic impact of $462 million for last year's class, a KraftCPAs analysis showed.

More than half of this year's winning companies have been in business five years or less.

To qualify, companies have to be privately owned with headquarters in Middle Tennessee, have annual revenue of at least $500,000 or at least 10 employees, and have projected annual revenue and employment growth of 10% or more for the next three years.

Winners, who were chosen based on scoring by KraftCPAs, the official accounting firm of the Future 50, will be honored at a Sept. 29 dinner at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs. The public is invited.

The annual awards program is sponsored by Bank of America, KraftCPAs, The Tennessean, Harwell Howard Hyne Gabbert & Manner and Mailer's Choice. •

This year's winners

Here are the 2005 Music City Future 50 companies:

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