The billion-dollar breakthrough: Colorado's women-owned companies top a record $1 billion in total revenue.

• Author: Peterson, Eric

One billion dollars. OK, $1.089 billion.

One thousand million and change. That's the billion-dollar barrier the 1999 ColoradoBiz Top 100 Women-Owned Businesses list broke this year.

After edging to $949.5 million last year, the top 100 broke the billion-dollar barrier in 1998, and projects more of the same for 1999.

Then comes 2000. If the sky's the limit, we'd better figure out how to raise the sky.

Sheer aggregate numbers are not the only impressive attribute of the women's businesses tallied here. Take, for one, growth by industry, where gains were made in every imaginable trade, from food manufacturing to high-tech consulting.

Take, too, the list's stereotype-busting. Take another look at the 100 Biggest Women's Businesses by category.

The most prominent industry for woman business owners? Construction, with 19 of the top 100 (by 1998 revenue), drew $171.4 million (up from $163 million in '97), followed by travel at 11 companies and $170.4 million ($145.2 million in '97). High tech came next with nine companies and a healthy $164 million (up from $148 million in '97), and public relations/advertising companies with seven entries and $56.7 million ($53 million in '97). Finally, staffing agencies at five companies contributed $42.2 million this year ($33.6 million last year).

More highlights:

* Big - or least bigger - women's businesses are expanding rapidly into anybody's big leagues. Last year's top 10 aggregated $511 million in revenue. This year: $543 million.

* Last year's average Top 10 Biggest Women's Business pulled down revenue of $51 million; this time, $54 million In the-then Colorado Business Magazine's 1994 list, average revenue was just $39 million. That's a 38 percent increase in four years, friends.

Dawn Repola is owner of Littleton-based Aegis Creative Communications Inc., a customized multimedia company that takes on projects ranging from technical documentation to website design.

Her company's revenue has doubled every year of its four-year existence.

And, "we're just about on track to do that (double revenue) for '99," she noted.

Originally a print-oriented company, Aegis has evolved considerably since it began doing business (under another name) in 1994. In 1995, Repola was involved in a "strategic decision" to make a move toward high-tech. She found her employees' print-related writing and design skills translated well to the WWW.

Then, the boom.

"Most of the women I know love what they're doing," she said. "I think...