Announces Winners for 1999 Inc./Cisco Growing with Technology Awards Program, Recognizing Small and Medium-Sized Businesses that are Networked for Growth
- More Information about the Cisco Small and Medium Business
- More Information about the 1999 Inc./Cisco Growing with Technology Awards Program
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- May 19, 1999 -- Cisco Systems, Inc., the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, today announced the winners for the 1999 Inc./Cisco Growing with Technology Awards Program. The program sponsored by Cisco and Inc. Business Resources, recognizes small and medium-sized businesses with up to 500 employees that demonstrate how innovative use of networking and the Internet can increase profits and provide a competitive edge.
Nine winners in three company categories-Fully Established; Internet/Virtual; and Start-Up-- will be honored today at the Strategy Summit '99: Growing your Company through Technology conference in San Francisco. Awards will be presented by Eugene Lee, vice president of marketing for Cisco's Small/Medium line of business and Brad Ketchum Jr., editorial director of Inc. Business Resources at an awards reception at the Moscone Center.
The Internet is changing the way small and medium-sized companies do business-- helping them grow their bottom-line while still retaining the advantages of being a lean and profitable small business. According to a recent IDC/LINK report, nearly 46 percent of small businesses with 20 to 99 employees accessed the Internet in 1998. Of those, nine percent had a Web site, an increase of 350 percent in a single year.
The Inc./Cisco Growing with Technology Awards program was designed to recognize small and medium-sized businesses that are using the Internet and technology to succeed. The winners of the program serve as role models and icons for other businesses that want to use technology to fuel growth and compete more effectively.
"We are pleased to be partnering with Inc. magazine for the Inc./Cisco Growing with Technology Awards program and to announce the winners for the 1999 program," said Eugene Lee. "All nine companies honored today demonstrate how the Internet and networking technology have changed the way people work, live, learn and play, and how the use of networking and the Internet have enabled them to grow their business and succeed."
"We have received tremendous response for the first year of the awards program," said Gary Mirkin, publisher of Inc. "The selection of the winners for the program was a very difficult task, since the more than 700 entries received demonstrated how the innovative use of the Internet and networking had helped them be successful."
Cisco and Inc. will be accepting applications for the 2000 Inc./Cisco Growing with Technology Awards program starting June 25, 1999.
Nine Winners Leverage Networking Technology to Grow
Winners for the Inc./Cisco Growing with Technology Awards program are as follows:Fully Established category (a business with an operating history of more than five years):
- Grand prize: Interpool, Inc., NJ
- Runners-up: Sumerset Houseboats, KY, and Wood Associates, CA
Internet/Virtual category (a business that derives the majority of its sales or revenues from the Internet):
- Grand prize: KinderView, CA
- Runners-up: ChinaOnline, IL, and Point.com, Inc., WA (formerly, Nth Dimension)
Start-Up category (a business with an operating history of five years or less):
- Grand prize: University Access, CA
- Runners-up: Centra Software, MA, and RewardsPlus of America, MD
About the Inc./Cisco Growing with Technology Awards
A panel of seven judges reviewed more than 700 entries to pick 45 finalists in three company categories: Fully Established; Start-Up; and Internet/Virtual. Grand prize winners and two runners-up were chosen in each category. Entrants completed a 26-question Web-based entry form at their own pace, signing on to fill in data. Judges looked for companies that had used networking and the Internet to:- Change the way they communicated with employees, partners, customers, or suppliers
- Spike revenues by entering new markets, introducing new products, or reaching new prospects
- Adopt a new business model or reengineered their operations to cut costs or spark growth
- Put new meaning into the terms customer support, customer feedback, supplier relations, or strategic partnership
- Moved from a local or regional market into a national or international market
- Overcome boundaries of size, time, and space
About Inc.
Inc. is the leading magazine written for men and women who own and manage small-to-midsized, fast-growing companies. Published 18 times a year, Inc. helps its 2.2 million readers by providing expert advice and practical solutions as they face the opportunities, pitfalls, and rewards of growing a company.Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet.Copyright ) 1999 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco, Cisco IOS, Cisco Systems and the Cisco Systems logo are registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. in the US and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership between Cisco and any of its resellers. (9904R)
