(March 26, 2004) Four members of the California Chamber of Commerce are on Inc. Magazine’s latest list of the 500 fastest growing companies in the nation, the Inc. 500.

California was home to the most Inc. 500 businesses -- 59 -- and Los Angeles and Orange County both appeared in the top 10 metropolitan areas of the list.

To be eligible for the 2003 Inc. 500, companies had to be independent and privately held through their fiscal year 2002, have had at least $200,000 in sales in the base year of 1998, and have had 2002 sales exceeding 2001 sales. Inc. verified all information using tax forms and financial statements from certified public accountants and by conducting interviews with company officials.

Following are Chamber members on the list, which was released in late 2003.

• Home Instead Senior Care (Omaha, NE) - Ranked 486 on the list, Home Instead Senior Care provides comprehensive, non-medical companionship and non-medical home care services for the elderly. The company, owned by husband and wife Paul and Lori Hogan, offers services designed for people who are capable of managing their own physical needs but require assistance, supervision, light housework, errands or companionship in order to remain in their homes.
  
• Linksys (Irvine) - Ranked 398 on the list, Linksys was named as an Inc. 500 Hall of Fame inductee for its five years of continuous growth, as well as being one of the fastest growing private companies in the United States. It is one of two companies ever to make the list seven times. Linksys was founded by husband and wife Victor and Janie Tsao in 1988, and caters its networking products to the consumer market and to small and medium-sized businesses. The Orange County Business Journal ranks Linksys as the 15th largest grossing company in the county and the second largest grossing minority-owned company.
  
• Spenser Communications (Irwindale) - Ranked 273 on the list, Spenser Communications Incorporated, headquartered in Irwindale, California, was founded in 1993. For the past decade, Spenser has developed creative communications solutions for businesses across a wide spectrum of industries. Spenser provides engineering, design and project management of multi-media communications solutions, both traditional and IP-based. Its clients include Fortune 100 companies, as well as small and medium-sized companies.
  
• Strategic Data Systems (San Diego) - Ranked 265 on the list and founded in 1993, SDS provides comprehensive information technology services to government and private industry. Working with the voluminous and security-sensitive data of government agencies is one of the key aspects of the company’s business and its success. The company was ranked one of the top three businesses to work for by the San Diego Business Journal in 2002 and presented with the Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year award by the U.S. General Services Administration in 2003.

Inc. Magazine is seeking nominations for its 2004 Inc. 500 list. To learn more or submit a nomination, visit www.inc.com.

Staff Contact: Kearsten Shepherd