Hosted service provider poised for even greater growth as businesses hurt by the recession are turning to cloud-based IT service for reliability and cost control

NEW YORK, August 12, 2009 -- Inc. magazine today ranked LightEdge Solutions on the list of America’s fastest growing private companies for the third consecutive year. The list represents the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy—America’s independent-minded entrepreneurs. Consumer electronics maker Vizio, Internet giant GoDaddy, rental car service Zipcar, and beverage maker Honest Tea are among the prominent brands featured on this year's list.

“Savvy trend spotters and those who invest in private companies know that the Inc. 5000 is the best place to find out about young companies that are achieving success through a wide variety of unprecedented business models, as well as older private companies that are still expanding at an impressive rate,” said Inc. 5000 project manager Jim Melloan. “That’s why our list is so eagerly anticipated every year.”

LightEdge Solutions, headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, is privately held by the Anschutz Investment Company headed by Qwest Communications founder Phil Anschutz.  The thirteen-year-old company provides enterprise-grade hosted services to over 2,000 business customers throughout the Midwest. The company offers the largest breadth of hosted business services in the United States including solutions for Hosted Voice-over-IP Communication Services, Hosted Microsoft Exchange (e-mail), Hosted Microsoft OCS (secure corporate Instant Messaging), BlackBerry Integration, Dedicated Servers, Collocation and Cage space, Managed Backup/Storage as well as many options for private, secure high-availability access.  In 2009 LightEdge created a new sister company called LightEdge Consulting Services (LCS) to offer consulting, planning and implementation services for small and medium-sized businesses.

“Service hosting, frequently called Cloud Computing, is the future of business technology – there’s no doubt in my mind,” said Scott Hansen, VP of Sales for LightEdge Solutions.  “Our success is based on our executives seeing the hosted service trend earlier than most and preparing the company for the large-scale adoption of hosted services that we expect to grow exponentially during the next ten years.”

 Methodology

The Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2005 through 2008. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by the first week of 2005, and therefore able to show four full calendar years of sales. Additionally, they have to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent -- not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies -- as of December 31, 2008. Revenue in 2005 must have been at least $200,000, and revenue in 2008 must have been at least $2 million. The top 10 percent of companies on the list comprise the Inc. 500, now in its 28th year.

About Inc. Magazine

Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures LLC, Inc. (www.inc.com) is the only major business magazine dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies that delivers real solutions for today’s innovative company builders. With a total paid circulation of 712,961, Inc. provides hands-on tools and market-tested strategies for managing people, finances, sales, marketing, and technology. Visit us online at Inc.com.

About the Inc. 500|5000 Conference

Each year, Inc. and Inc.com celebrate the remarkable achievements of today’s entrepreneurial superstars—the privately held small businesses that drive our economy. The Inc. 500|5000 Conference & Awards Ceremony brings together members of the Inc. 5000 community, both a new class of Inc. 5000 honorees and the list’s alumni, for three days of powerful networking, inspired learning, and momentous celebration. Please join us September 23–25, 2009, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. For more information about the 2009 Inc. 500|5000 Conference & Awards Ceremony, and to register, visit www.Inc5000event.com. Stay connected with Inc. Events by following @IncEvents on Twitter.

About LightEdge
LightEdge is the only hosted services partner fully dedicated to providing a full breadth of communications and IT services to small and medium-sized businesses looking for a better way to focus on their core business, not the technology that supports it.  For more information, visit www.lightedge.com.

LightEdge®, the LightEdge logo and Scale-on-Demand™ are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of LightEdge Solutions, Inc.