Merlin Technical Solutions, a Greenwood Village information-technology company, is No. 2 on Inc. Magazine’s 2005 list of fastest-growing companies.
Merlin saw 7,979 percent growth in revenues over the past three years, posting $88.2 million last year.
There are 16 Colorado companies on the list.
The 24th annual Inc. 500, released Tuesday, ranks privately held companies based on revenue growth from 2001 to 2004. To be eligible for the list, a company needed a minimum of $500,000 in revenue in 2001.
Nearly all of Merlin’s revenue comes from doing business with the federal government.
“We are heavily focused on the federal marketplace; it’s 98 percent of our revenue,” said David Phelps, Merlin’s president and chief executive.
Phelps attributes the company’s success to an executive team experienced in selling services to the federal government.
Merlin helps its customers implement a variety of computer applications, ranging from databases to Web technologies. The company is building a public Web portal for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and its U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services division. USCIS is responsible for administering immigration and naturalization services and policies. The portal will allow users to get citizenship and green-card information, as well as cross-reference information from other government databases.
Founded by Phelps in 1997 with $500, Merlin has 120 employees and is hiring 30 more.
Jim Melloan, project manager for the Inc. 500, said Boulder was the No. 2 city in the nation in the number of Inc. 500 companies per 1 million residents, boasting 10.8. Colorado as a state ranked No. 5, with 3.5 companies per 1 million residents.
Staff writer Kimberly S. Johnson can be reached at 303-820-1088 or kjohnson@denverpost.com
Growth leaders
The 16 Colorado companies on Inc. magazine’s annual Inc. 500 list, which ranks the fastest-growing private companies in America:
Merlin Technical Solutions
Rank: 2
Industry: IT services
Three-year growth: 7,979 percent
2004 revenue: $88.2 million
Headquarters: Greenwood Village
Mont Blanc Gourmet
Rank: 52
Industry: Food and beverage
Three-year growth: 1,335 percent
2004 revenue: $10.4 million
Headquarters: Denver
Intelligent Software Solutions
Rank: 65
Industry: Defense contractors
Three-year growth: 1,124 percent
2004 revenue: $12.7 million
Headquarters: Colorado Springs
LoanBright
Rank: 162
Industry: Real estate
Three-year growth: 659 percent
2004 revenue: $4.5 million
Headquarters: Evergreen
S.M. Stoller
Rank: 165
Industry: Environmental services
Three-year growth: 645 percent
2004 revenue: $77 million
Headquarters: Lafayette
Günther Douglas
Rank: 169
Industry: Human resources
Three-year growth: 630 percent
2004 revenue: $6.6 million
Headquarters: Denver
Red Hawk Industries
Rank: 177
Industry: Security
Three-year growth: 602 percent
2004 revenue: $92.3 million
Headquarters: Greenwood Village
Starizon
Rank: 226
Industry: Consulting
Three-year growth: 512 percent
2004 revenue: $3.1 million
Headquarters: Keystone
S.A. Robotics
Rank: 249
Industry: Environmental services
Three-year growth: 486 percent
2004 revenue: $8.5 million
Headquarters: Loveland
Resolution Consulting
Rank: 296
Industry: Health
Three-year growth: 430 percent
2004 revenue: $6.2 million
Headquarters: Broomfield
Motor Car Auto Carriers
Rank: 309
Industry: Transportation
Three-year growth: 424 percent
2004 revenue: $7 million
Headquarters: Commerce City
Conduant
Rank: 379
Industry: Computers, electronics
Three-year growth: 363 percent
2004 revenue: $3.4 million
Headquarters: Longmont
Alpine Access
Rank: 431
Industry: Business services
Three-year growth: 328 percent
2004 revenue: $15.7 million
Headquarters: Golden
GTRI
Rank: 454
Industry: IT services
Three-year growth: 315 percent
2004 revenue: $30.7 million
Headquarters: Denver
Silicon Mountain Memory
Rank: 462
Industry: Computers, electronics
Three-year growth: 312 percent
2004 revenue: $13.8 million
Headquarters: Boulder
Directed Energy Solutions
Rank: 496
Industry: Defense contractors
Three-year growth: 291 percent
2004 revenue: $4 million
Headquarters: Colorado Springs
