B.C.'S fastest-growing companies revealed: the annual PROFIT 100 ranking

Jun 4, 2007 News Releases

PROFIT magazine reveals its exclusive annual ranking of Canada's
Fastest-Growing Companies today

TORONTO, June 4 /CNW/ - "Should we pursue this opportunity?" is a
question that confronts all growing businesses. The phenomenal revenue growth
of the 2007 PROFIT 100 companies - averaging 2,095% over the past five years -
shows how skillfully they've picked and seized the best opportunities out
there. Even more impressive is that their climb to combined annual sales of
$11.5 billion hasn't come at the expense of profitability: 78% of the
PROFIT 100 were in the black in their most recent fiscal year, averaging net
income of 10.4% of revenue.
"PROFIT 100 companies are the new heroes of Canadian business, creating
jobs at home and products used around the world," says Ian Portsmouth, editor
of PROFIT magazine. "They've accomplished this by building great employee
teams, exploiting export markets and rapidly responding to the customer's
fast-changing needs."

Opportunities in all sectors

The firms achieving these remarkable results operate in a dizzying array
of sectors. The 2007 PROFIT 100 boasts companies in debt collection, energy
production, junk removal and GPS tracking. You'll find retailers, marketing
agencies, software developers, Web-hosting services and IT consultants on the
list. And, contrary to its reputation as a sunset business, Canadian
manufacturing is going strong, with producers of mattresses, clothing,
furniture and other goods occupying positions on PROFIT's 19th annual ranking
of Canada's Fastest-Growing Companies.

Canada's Fastest-Growing Company

Laying claim to top spot on the 2007 PROFIT 100 is Edmonton-based
Rentcash Inc., a leading provider in the crowded sector of short-term consumer
loans. Founded in 2000 by rent-to-own specialist Gordon Reykdal, Rentcash
notched 2006 sales of $154 million - up 33,700% from 2001 - offering further
proof that you can build a booming business in just about any industry.

British Columbia

Exports were crucial to the growth of B.C.'s 21 PROFIT 100 companies: 18
of the 21 were exporters in 2006, and their $281 million in exports generated
fully 71% of their total sales. The B.C. companies on the list were a highly
diverse group, doing everything from selling contact lenses online to
designing women's golfwear to building solar-powered lighting systems.B.C.'s fastest-growing companies

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Rank Company (overall What it does Location 5-year
Canadian rank) revenue
growth
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Optimal Geomatics Inc. Geographical Vancouver 4,025%
(8) information
services for
electricity/gas
utilities
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2. PEER 1 Network Internet Vancouver 4,016%
Enterprises Inc. (9) infrastructure
services
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Canada Web Hosting (11) Managed Kelowna 3,830%
Web-hosting
services
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PROFIT 100 Top 5 performers in Canada

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Rank Company What it does Location 5-year
revenue
growth
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Rentcash Inc. Short-term Edmonton 33,700%
consumer loans
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2. Digital Oilfield Inc. Electronic Calgary 8,757%
invoicing
software for
oil/gas industry
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3. Rutter Inc. Marine St. John's, 8,114%
technologies, Nfld.
engineering and
automation
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4. Digital Rapids Inc. Hardware and Markham, Ont. 6,972%
software for
Internet video
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5. BTI Photonic Systems Optical Ottawa 5,607%
Inc. hardware/software
for broadband
video
-------------------------------------------------------------------------Coast-to-coast success

Twenty-one companies from this year's PROFIT 100 are based in British
Columbia, with 18 out of Alberta, two from Manitoba, 42 out of Ontario,
12 from Quebec and five from Atlantic Canada. Across the country, PROFIT 100
companies created 27,413 jobs from 2001 to 2006.

About PROFIT Magazine

PROFIT: Your Guide to Business Success offers news, strategies, tips,
interviews and other resources to entrepreneurs leading Canada's
fastest-growing companies. Each year PROFIT - which currently reaches more
than 300,000 readers nationally - hosts a number of events that bring together
business leaders in the fast-growth segment and champions the interests of
those leaders. PROFIT was founded in April 1982 as Canada's first national
magazine geared to entrepreneurs. Visit PROFITguide.com.