Ann Arbor SPARK Presents FastTrack Company Growth Awards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – NOVEMBER 4, 2011 -- ANN ARBOR, MICH. -- Ann Arbor SPARK, a public-private partnership whose mission is to advance innovation-based economic development in the greater Ann Arbor region, recently presented its annual FastTrack awards to companies that have demonstrated consistent growth.  Several of the 2011 FastTrack award recipients were multiple year winners, demonstrating long-term business growth.

“The 2011 FastTrack winners represent how a commitment to excellence and perseverance can grow a business in the toughest economic times,” said Paul Krutko, president and CEO of Ann Arbor SPARK.  “These companies are to be commended for their commitment to innovation and their commitment to growing here in the Ann Arbor region.  The companies that we recognize as FastTrack winners are driving industries that fuel the growth of our economy.”

One-year FastTrack winners:

Pixel Velocity develops and markets advanced system-level video surveillance and threat detection solutions to the homeland security and defense markets.  Pixel8s products provide maximum site security and operational continuity for large, complex environments with strategic national and local importance, including military bases, marine ports, airports, power generation sites, and other critical infrastructure.

Power Marketing and Research helps businesses and organizations get closer to their customers through market research. It utilizes a variety of customized research methods — including focus groups, surveys, and more — to help businesses maximize their potential. Power Marketing and Research is a woman-owned company celebrating a decade of assisting clients with their research needs.

Three-year FastTrack winners:

Caelynx LLC is a computer-aided engineering firm providing expedient, reliable consulting services.  It specializes in helping clients in the aerospace, automotive, defense, energy, life science and consumer product industries

MedHub, Inc. provides managed IT services for large academic teaching hospitals worldwide. MedHub clients include The University of Michigan, Duke University, Stanford University, Cleveland Clinic, The University of Washington, The University of Wisconsin, and Indiana University.

Four-year FastTrack winners:

LLamasoft Inc. provides software and expertise that helps global organizations design and improve their supply chains. Its product, Supply Chain Guru, enables companies to build a model of their supply chain and run “what if” scenarios on it, so that the best configuration can be identified.

SRT Solutions creates software for growing and innovative companies that see software as a strategic asset. It uses the best available tools and processes to provide customized, reliable, secure software for phones, tablets, web, desktop, and enterprise systems, focusing on high-value applications that have the potential to change a client’s market. For more information, visit srtsolutions.com.

Five-year FastTrack winner:

ForeSee Results is the leader in online customer satisfaction measurement.  It continuously measures satisfaction across customer touch points and delivers critical insights on where to prioritize improvements for maximum impact. ForeSee’s technology and proven methodology connect the customer experience to the bottom line, helping its clients drive future success by confidently optimizing the efforts that will achieve business and brand objectives. The result is better business for companies and a better experience for consumers.

FastTrack awards are presented to companies with consistent records of growth.  Recipients of 2011 FastTrack awards were required to have revenue of at least $100,000 in 2007, with an annual growth of 20 percent for the following three years.  To qualify, companies reported 2010 revenues greater than 2009 revenues.

About Ann Arbor SPARK

Ann Arbor SPARK, a non-profit organization, is the driving force in establishing the Ann Arbor region as a destination for business expansion, retention, and location by identifying and meeting the needs of business at every stage, from start-ups to large organizations. Ann Arbor SPARK represents all communities in Washtenaw County. Ann Arbor SPARK collaborates with business, academic, government, and community investor partners including the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, Washtenaw Community College, Washtenaw County, Washtenaw County etcs/Michigan Works!, the City of Ann Arbor, Bank of Ann Arbor and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. For more information, please call (734) 761-9317 or visit www.AnnArborUSA.org.