PITTSBURGH, Oct. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pittsburgh High Technology Council
has concluded research and identified the 50 fastest growing technology-
oriented companies in a l3-county area of southwestern Pennsylvania.  The
research represents the first ever undertaken in this arena and was subjected
to a final audit by the accounting firm of Arthur Andersen.  The Council
announced the highest growth companies and category leaders during a special
dinner presentation entitled "Pittsburgh Technology 50," which was held at the
DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh.
    Sony Corporation (NYSE: SNE) President Nobuyuki Idei was the featured
speaker at the event, which was cybercast simultaneously over the Council's
website (http://www.tc-p.com).  The cybercast will be archived at this web address
for a month.
    In determining the fastest-growing firms, the Council canvassed over 2,500
public and private technology-oriented companies headquartered in the counties
of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Butler, Cambria, Fayette, Greene,
Indiana, Lawrence, Somerset, Westmoreland and Washington.
    The criteria for participating companies required them to actively
develop, manufacture or utilize advanced technology or technology-based
products or function as a value-added reseller of such products.  In addition,
each entrant company was required to derive at least 50 percent of its revenue
from the commercial usage of an advanced proprietary technology product,
service or application of such technology.  Gross revenues for each entrant
were required to be at least $1 million during 1996, and growth was measured
for each company over a three-year period.

    Top performers in five categories of gross revenues were announced as
follows:

    $1 to $5 million gross revenue

    Company                                                   Percentage
                                                              Growth

    1.  Janus Technologies, Inc.                           1,316%
    2.  Corporate Restructuring Services, Inc.               950%
    3.  Paragon Solutions, Inc.                              572%
    4.  UNIFAB Inc.                                          333%
    5.  JLS, Inc.                                            258%
    6.  Prograph Management Systems                          233%
    7.  On Target Mapping                                    198%
    8.  K2T                                                  181%
    9.  InfoSAGE, Inc.                                       170%
    10. Quintech Electronics and Communications Inc.         168%

    $5 to $10 million gross revenue

    Company                                                      Percentage
                                                                 Growth

    1.  Computer Enterprises, Inc.                           977%
    2.  ServiceWare Inc.                                     292%
    3.  Computer Delivery Services, Inc.                     286%
    4.  IRIS Technologies, Inc.                              262%
    5.  EBARA Solar, Inc.                                    183%
    6.  B.E.A., Inc.                                         130%
    7.  LeaseTek, Inc.                                       129%
    8.  D.X.I. Inc.                                          100%
    9.  Synergistic Technologies Incorporated                 83%
    10. Ansoft Corporation                                    71%

    $10 to $25 million gross revenue

    Company                                                    Percentage
                                                               Growth

    1.  Danet, Inc.                                        2,565%
    2.  Solutions Consulting, Inc.                           250%
    3.  Ranbar Technology Inc.                               156%
    4.  Solid State Measurements, Inc.                       125%
    5.  Allegheny Plastics, Inc.                              88%
    6.  Sentient Systems Technology, Inc.                     53%
    7.  Thermo-Twin Industries, Inc.                          42%
    8.  CTR Systems                                           40%
    9.  Aerotech, Inc.                                        39%
    10. Bailey Engineering                                    34%


    $25 to $100 million gross revenue

    Company                                                      Percentage
                                                                 Growth

    1.  Pittsburgh Logistics Systems, Inc.                   304%
    2.  Tollgrade Communications, Inc.                       155%
    3.  COMPUTERPEOPLE Inc.                                  150%
    4.  intelitran                                           137%
    5.  Robicon                                              107%
    6.  II-VI Incorporated                                   103%
    7.  Carnegie Group, Inc.                                  59%
    8.  VEKA Inc.                                             55%
    9.  Compunetics, Inc.                                     50%
    10. ANSYS, Inc.                                           42%

    $100+ million gross revenue

    Company                                                      Percentage
                                                                 Growth

    1.  FORE Systems, Inc.                                   498%
    2.  Cable Design Technologies, Inc.                      146%
    3.  Tippins Incorporated                                 116%
    4.  Dynamet Incorporated                                  98%
    5.  Mastech Systems Corporation                           76%
    6.  Respironics Inc.                                      61%
    7.  TRACO                                                 55%
    8.  Tuscarora Incorporated                                52%
    9.  Black Box Corporation                                 41%
    10. Medrad, Inc.                                          41%

    During the event the Council also released new research demonstrating the
specific impact of the technology industries on the region's economy.  This
"state-of-the-industry" address encompassed statistical information for the
first time on a wide variety of technology industries, including information
technology, biomedical and biotechnology, advanced manufacturing and
environmental technology.  Council president, Raymond R. Christman, presented
the findings which included statistics within each industry segment, such as
numbers of people employed, total annual payroll and numbers of companies
within certain clusters.  In addition, the research compared the metropolitan
area's total initial public offerings and total capital investments with both
the state and national totals.

    The following are excerpts from the report:

    -- There are over 3,600 technology companies located in the 13-county
        southwestern Pennsylvania region, and they employ over 100,000 people
        with an annual payroll of more than $4.25 billion.

    -- Technology industries account for a continually increasing share of the
        region's employment, company base and overall payroll.

    -- Four primary industries have been identified as drivers of the economic
        growth of technology.  They are:
        -- information technology
        -- biomedical technology
        -- environmental technology
        -- advanced manufacturing

    -- Information technology, including software development and other
        services and activities, has emerged as the single most significant
        portion of the employment in the technology sector, accounting for
        over 25 percent of all the technology jobs.

    -- Within the information technologies sector, there are 883 companies in
        the region employing more than 25,000 people.

    -- Between 1990 and 1996, information technology has experienced a 59
        percent increase in wages to over $1 billion annually.  Employment
        increased by over 18 percent, and the number of companies within the
        cluster increased by nearly 70 percent, all of which outpaced the
        state for the same period.

    -- Within the biomedical and biotechnical cluster, wages increased by over
        46 percent, while the numbers of companies also increased by over 22
        percent in the same period.

    -- Advanced manufacturing also increased.  Between 1990 and 1996, wages
        were up over 17 percent, and the number of companies within the
        cluster also increased by over 18 percent.

    Other key regional trends include:

    -- There is a continuing shift from larger to smaller companies as a
        source of employment

    -- There is a more rapid pace of new business formation.  There were 144
        technology start-ups in 1996 (almost 10 percent of all new start-ups)

    -- More Pittsburgh companies are achieving market scale and acceptance.
        Between 1990 and 1996, there were 29 IPOs which raised $2 billion.

    -- Pittsburgh's research universities are more focused on technology
        transfers and economic development.  Between 1993 and 1996, there were
        -- 47 technology transfer agreements
        -- 83 patents filed
        -- 32 patents issued

    The objectives of the program and research are to promote the vitality and
importance of the technology industry in the region's new economy, as well as
to raise awareness and recognition of the individual companies who are leading
and shaping its growth.
    "Our goal is to establish this program as a premier annual event," said
Christman.  "We hope to use this platform as a means of promoting the
accomplishments of the growth-oriented participating companies, as well as to
heighten awareness of the region's technological capabilities throughout the
world."
    Pittsburgh Technology 50 corporate sponsors also include Kirkpatrick &
Lockhart LLP, National City Bank of Pennsylvania, Source W and PRNewswire.

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