Point of sale & Barcoding reseller, POS World, Ranks #169 on the 2004 Inc. 500

New York -– Inc. Magazine, the premier publication for small and medium-sized businesses, today released its 23rd annual Inc. 500 ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in the country. Point of Sale & barcoding reseller, POS World, ranks #169 on the list, with five year average annual sales growth of 201.6%. The Inc. 500 Special Issue is on newsstands until December 21, 2004.

The companies that made this list have thrived despite continued stagnation in the economy, posting an average year-over-year sales growth of 265%. Inc. 500 companies posted aggregate 2003 revenue of $12.6 billion, and 82% of them were profitable. And while the United States shed 410,000 jobs in 2003, Inc. 500 companies provided employment for more than 70,000 people.

Further demonstrating the resilience of this year's Inc. 500 crop is the fact that 102 of this year's honorees started in 1999—meaning that they weathered the start-up costs of the overcapitalized boom and thrived during the impending bust that was one of the toughest periods for young companies in recent memory.

"The best thing you can say about this year's crop of Inc. 500 entrepreneurs is that they didn't buy into the hype,' said Inc. editor-in-chief John Koten. "When people were practically giving away funding in the late 1990s, these companies didn't overextend, and when everyone hit the panic button a few years later, they stayed calm and seized opportunity.'

The Inc. 500 ranks privately held companies according to averaged year-over-year sales growth over the past four years. With approximately 75% of all new job creation in the U.S. coming from small businesses, the Inc. 500 is a prescient indicator of the companies and industries that are driving the economy forward. Eighty-five companies (17%) on this year's Inc. 500 say they plan to go public at some point. Over the years, the Inc. 500 has identified the next generation of world-class companies, with Microsoft, Stonyfield Farms, Timberland, Oracle, The Princeton Review, Morningstar, E* Trade, Intuit, and Domino's Pizza all appearing on the list before they became industry powerhouses.

To be eligible for this year's Inc. 500, companies had to be independent and privately held through their fiscal year 2003, have had at least $200,000 in net sales in the base year of 1999 for Inc. 500 alumni and 2000 for new applicants, and $2 million in net sales for 2003. In addition, their 2003 sales had to exceed 2002 sales. Companies are ranked on averaged year-over-year sales growth. Inc. verifies all information using tax forms and audited financial statements from certified public accountants and by conducting interviews with company officials.

About POS World, Inc.
POS World, Inc. (http://posworld.com/info.html) is a leading value added reseller of specialty technology products, including automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) and point-of-sale (POS). POS World provides these products to virtually all markets using these technologies. POS World has tens of thousands of customers ranging from small businesses of all types to all levels of government to Fortune 100 companies. POS World also provides software development assistance and other value added services to companies wishing to integrate these technology products.

Contact Joseph Bushèy, President & CEO, POS World, Inc. at 1.888.801.7282 x662 or visit http://posworld.com/info.html.

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