Georgia welcomes nation’s top entrepreneurs to Savannah

SAVANNAH, MARCH 30, 2006 – A unique opportunity to show off Georgia's assets to the country's top entrepreneurs begins today in Savannah as the annual Inc. 500 Conference & Awards Ceremony sets up shop at the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center. Highlights of the conference include keynote addresses by former President Bill Clinton; Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of "The World Is Flat" Thomas Friedman; Intuit co-founder Scott Cook, and Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus. 'For over two decades this conference has saluted America's top corporations and entrepreneurs, and this year we welcome the opportunity to share with our guests Georgia's rich culture, history, and business-friendly atmosphere,' said Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Craig Lesser. The Inc. 500 annually ranks privately-held companies according to averaged year-over-year sales growth over the past four years. The Inc. 500 Conference gathers these companies under one roof to celebrate their achievements and discuss the power of entrepreneurship. This year's conference & awards ceremony is expected to be the largest since 2001. The event will host approximately 1,000 attendees from the fastest- growing companies in America. The Georgia Department of Economic Development, the Savannah Economic Development Authority, the Savannah Chamber of Commerce, Georgia Allies, the Savannah Convention and Visitors Bureau, and a host of other public-private partnerships are proud sponsors of the Inc. 500 Conference. 'Partnerships like this, combining positive and dynamic public and private entities, make Georgia such a unique and desirable place to live and conduct business,' added Lesser. 'It is thanks to our collaborative abilities that we are able to attract world-class events such as the Inc. 500 and major investment projects like the new KIA plant in west Georgia. We look forward to showcasing our cooperative spirit and accomplishments at the conference, allowing us to market ourselves as the ideal place where businesses can come to put their dreams in motion.' Inc. magazine chose Savannah for the Inc. 500 conference & Awards Ceremony due to its unique size, and its combination of friendliness to small business, culture and overall charm. There are 21 Georgia businesses ranked in the 2005 Inc. 500. Tops on the Georgia list is Atlanta-based Moe's Southwest Grill, which landed at 11th in the overall rankings. Other Georgia businesses, their locations and their rankings are as follows: GamePlan Financial Marketing, Woodstock, 72 Allconnect, Atlanta, 73 Logic Trends, Atlanta, 74 SecureWorks, Atlanta, 79 SecureUSA, Cumming, 117 KnowledgeStorm, Alpharetta, 168 Premier Environmental Services, Marietta, 184 Harbor Payments, Atlanta, 240 Labor Staffing, Chamblee, 245 CarterBaldwin, Roswell, 256 Avail Workforce Management Solutions, Atlanta, 290 Consultants & Builders, Duluth, 322 Atlanta Refrigeration Service, Doraville, 337 Ability Services Network, Duluth, 370 GECC, Woodstock, 393 Georgia Cabling & Electric, Norcross, 409 SouthStar Funding, Atlanta, 429 Campbell Roofing & Construction, Warner Robins, 469 MNdustries, Suwanee, 479 B2B Technologies, Atlanta, 483 With approximately 75 percent of all new job creation in the U.S. coming from small businesses, the Inc. 500 list is a prescient indicator of the companies and industries that are driving the economy forward. Over the years, 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. Inc., the only major business magazine dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies, delivers real solutions for today's innovative company builders. It provides hands-on tools and market-tested strategies for managing people, finances, sales, marketing, and technology. Inc. is also the only publication that focuses on small to medium-size businesses, responsible for more than half the nation's gross domestic product and 70 percent of its new jobs. And Inc. looks beyond work to address the entrepreneurial lifestyle. Inc., a Mansueto Ventures LLC publication, inspires and informs, with cutting-edge coverage that reflects readers' energy, brashness, and imagination. The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state's sales and marketing arm, the lead agency for attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry and small businesses, locating new markets for Georgia products, attracting tourists to Georgia, and promoting the state as a location for film, video and music projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development. For more information, visit www.georgia.org .