Press Releases

ICIC AND INC. MAGAZINE NAME ENLIGHTENED, INC. ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING COMPANIES FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR
Enlightened Inc. ranked 47th on the list of fastest-growing inner city companies in America

WASHINGTON (MAY 7): The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City Inc. (ICIC) and Inc. Magazine, the premier publication for small and medium-sized businesses, released its annual Inner City 100 list of the fastest-growing inner city companies in the country. Washington DC based Enlightened, Inc., a leading provider of Information Technology (IT) consulting services, has been ranked 47th on this year's prestigious list. This was the firm's second consecutive year making the Inner City 100 list.

Now in its ninth year, the Inner City 100 acknowledges growing companies and spotlights the importance of a robust business sector in creating healthy urban communities. For the 2007 list, over 4,500 new nominations were received. The 2007 Inner City 100 winners grew at a compound annual growth rate of 49 percent and an average rate of 535 percent between 2001 and 2005. The specific rankings were based on total revenue growth over the five-year period. Collectively, the top 100 inner city businesses have employed nearly 19,000 people and created 12,000 new jobs over the past five years; both of these figures are the highest in the program's history and show signs of continued growth.

"An ability to recognize growth and build upon it is the trait that most distinguishes the 2007 Inner City 100 winners," says Dorothy Terrell, president and CEO of ICIC. "These companies have identified profitable market niches that few others have seen. They have run successful regional, national and even global businesses from inner city locations because of their savvy growth orientation, and have translated their tremendous growth into more jobs, income, and wealth for inner city residents. Inner City 100 2007 is truly the year of Recognizing Growth."

With minority populations in America's cities continuing to rise, the demographic changes are being reflected in the growing number of top-performing inner city businesses owned by minorities. Nationally, only three percent of all businesses with annual sales over $1 million are minority-owned. Since the inception of the list, 31% of the 448 companies that made the Inner City 100 list were minority-owned, a statistic that is an astounding 300% higher than the national average of 11%.

"Enlightened is honored to be a part of this distinguished list of inner city businesses for the second consecutive year," said Andre Rogers, Vice President of Enlightened, Inc. "This is a testament to our success in achieving consistent and results-oriented services for our customers."

About Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC)
The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) is a national not-for-profit organization founded in 1994 by Harvard Business School professor Michael E. Porter. ICIC's mission is to promote economic prosperity in America's inner cities through private sector engagement that leads to jobs, income and wealth creation for local residents. ICIC brings together business and civic leaders to drive innovation and action, transform thinking and accelerate inner city business growth and investment.

About Inc.
Inc. is the leading magazine written for the men and women who own and manage small-to-mid-sized, fast-growing companies. Published 12 times a year, Inc helps its 1.5 million readers by providing expert advice and practical solutions as they face the opportunities, pitfalls, and rewards of growing a company. www.inc.com, the Web site for growing companies, was named Best Online Magazine by Folio and Best Overall New Publication (all media) by the Computer Press Association.

About Enlightened
Enlightened, Inc. is a full-service information technology (IT) and business solutions company. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Enlightened provides support to federal and local government agencies and commercial customers. Enlightened holds GSA IT-70 and MOBIS schedule contracts, and is certified as SDB, 8(a), and HubZone by the Small Business Administration.

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05/07/2007


Press Information:

Enlightened, Inc.
Ameena Layous, Marketing & PR Specialist
666 11th Street, NW
Washington, DC. 20001
(202) 783-4655
news@nlightened.com