Top 100 Women: staffing firms signal economic resurgence with 51 percent growth.

• Author: Taylor, Mike

ANYONE FORAGING FOR SIGNS OF AN improved state economy might want to put down the tea leaves and pick up the Colorado Top 100 Women-Owned Company list.

Eighty-two of the top 100 women-owned companies ranked by ColoradoBiz increased revenues in 2005, the highest total in nine years. Seven reported no year-over-year change, leaving only 11 companies with a decline in revenues, the lowest number of decliners in this annual ranking since 1997.

Contrast that with 2002 and 2003, when 36 companies reported a drop in revenues both years.

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Of all industries represented in this year's list, staffing and recruiting firms enjoyed the most dramatic revenue growth. This field represents a particularly telling economic barometer, as it indicates a rekindled demand for workers by companies that are expanding or evolving.

The seven staffing and/or recruiting companies in this year's list increased revenues an average of 51 percent, and none grew more spectacularly than Catalyst Search LLC. The Denver-based recruiting and consulting firm has carved out a niche in health-care IT and in 2005 reported revenues of $5.5 million for a 224-percent increase over the previous year.

"We've really hit on a niche in the market that very few people are in," said Marc Silberstrom, VP of sales for the firm that was launched seven years ago by owner and CEO Rachel Hennig.

Catalyst Search finds IT talent for companies on the payer's side of health care--insurance companies--and for hospital conglomerates such as HCA Group, to implement efficient IT processes.

To land that IT talent, Catalyst Search has six full-time recruiters, and Silberstrom says the company probably will add at least two more this year.

While most of Catalyst Search's 60 or so clients are outside Colorado, Silberstrom still keeps a keen eye on the statewide tech enconomy. He previously ran sales for Statera, a fast-growing Greenwood Village-based IT consultant that caters primarily to Colorado clients.

"Colorado is finally catching up with the coasts," Silberstrom said. "We're finally starting to see the demand that you've seen on the coasts for the last 18 to 24 months. It's great news. Jobs are being created.

"What I still don't see in Denver, though, is that 'big' industry coming back, be it in the '80s when it was oil and gas, or the '90s when it was telco or cable."

Second in terms of year-over-year growth among firms in the women's Top 100 is another company tied directly to employees and the workplace. Widsom Works Inc., a Longmont coaching and consulting company, improved revenues 151 percent on revenues of $1.03 million in 2005.

Third among top growers was SmartSearch Marketing, a Boulder firm that specializes in search-engine marketing and website promotion. SmartSearch increased revenues 138 percent on revenues of $3.2 million last year.

Catalyst Search's Silberstrom summed up the improvement he's seen in Colorado from an IT perspective. "I walked into Denver in 2002, and you're talking about just a ghost town, for technology consulting," he said. "I think what our growth is indicative of is that a company in Colorado can go national and can do business in other areas."

_TOP 100 WOMAN-OWNED COMPANIES Ranked by revenues '05 Gross % Change Revenue (000's) 2006 2005 Company '04 Years in Rank Rank Revenue Business (000's) 1 1 Ralph Schomp $214,161 205,330 4% 65 Automotive Inc. 2 2 McClain Finlon 148,000 101,000 47% 24 Advertising 3 3 Andavo Travel 80,000 60,000 33% 14 4 4 Polk Majestic Travel 63,000 51,000 24% 30 Group 5 Cain Travel Group 55,200 44,266 25% 21 Inc. 6 Fresh Produce 53,900 43,000 25% 22 Sportswear Inc. 7 5 PRACO Ltd. 41,395 35,576 16% 36 8 Meyers Dining 35,000 N/A N/A 1 Insurance LLC 9 6 Craters & Freighters 32,532 28,866 13% 16 Franchise Co. 10 8 Nexus Corp. 25,250 24,000 5% 38 11 10 Thayer Media Inc. 25,000 23,500 6% 13 12 7 Portable Computer 24,700 22,400 10% 14 Systems Inc. 13 EON Office Products 24,000 24,000 0% 5 14 11 Micro Analysis & 22,700 16,100 41% 22 Design Inc. 15 15 PrimeSource Staffing 22,500 15,200 48% 9 LLC 16 Pacific Western 20,000 20,000 0% 18 Technologies Ltd. 17 18 ETI Professionals 18,500 12,800 45% 13 Inc. 18 Good Day Pharmacy 16,000 16,000 0% 21 19 17 United Banks of 15,598 13,668 14% 27 Colorado Inc. 20 13 Slifer Designs Inc. 15,500 16,900 -8% 22 21 20 Sounds True Inc. 13,200 11,100 19% 21 22 22 Leopard 12,388 10,262 21% 21 23 14 Highland Management 12,000 15,200 -21% 14 Inc. 24 37 Clientsolv 10,500 5,000 110% 13 Technologies (dba for CCSA Inc.) 25 23 Frontier Business 9,300 9,050 3% 27 Products 26 Community Interiors 9,200 8,300 11% 13 Inc. 27 21 Connect: The 8,900 10,800 -18% 14 Knowledge Network Corp. 28 38 J.C. Brooks & Co. 7,840 4,979 57% 26 Inc. 29 35 LT Environmental 7,535 5,415 39% 14 Inc. 30 31 Lighthouse Financial 7,235 6,125 18% 23 LLC & Financial Network 31 33 Imaging Systems LLC 7,100 5,900 20% 11 32 CueStix 7,000 7,000 0% 16 International 33 29 Optimum Management 6,896 6,338 9% 8 Systems LLC 34 Rocky Mountain Ram 6,500 7,000 -7% 11 LLC 35 32 Boecore Inc. 6,100 5,900 3% 5 36 Catalyst Search LLC 5,500 1,700 224% 7 37 41 Alumni Consulting 4,925 4,373 13% 13 Group Int. Inc. 38 34 Nest Fresh Eggs Inc. 4,800 5,300 -9% 15 39 Business 4,543 2,281 99% 20 Acquisitions Ltd. 40 42 Design Lines Inc. 4,483 4,382 2% 23 41 eQuilter Inc. 4,300 4,300 0% 7 42 45 Alta Milla Electric 4,166 3,561 17% 19 Corp. 43 44 ANKO Metal Services 3,900 3,500 11% 26 Inc. 44 50 In Touch Today Corp. 3,838 2,619 47% 5 45 61 AvenueWest Corporate 3,500 3,000 17% 7 Housing Inc. 45 Four Winds Inc. (dba 3,500 5,400 -35% 26 People's Choice) 47 49 Blue Spruce Design & 3,400 2,700 26% 9 Construction 48 Namaste Care Group 3,377 3,462 -2% 8 Inc. 49 Restoration 3,258 4,485 -27% 16 Specialists Inc. 50 SmartSearch 3,200 1,347 138% 7 Marketing 51 Corporate Dimensions 3,100 N/A 4 52 North Boulder 3,015 2,889 4% 27 Physical Therapy Sports Rehabilitation LLC 52 64 Waterstone 3,100 1,760 76% 12 Environmental 54 47 Canino's Sausage Co. 3,000 3,000 0% 81 Inc. 54 68 MorEvents 3,000 1,700 76% 9 56 52 Tallgrass Inc. 2,718 2,559 6% 10 57 59 HR Search Firm 2,708 2,191 24% 7 58 53 Orion Registrar Inc. 2,616 2,508 4% 11 59 48 Schenkein 2,613 2,843 -8% 33 60 60 Pascoe Associates 2,500 2,400 4% 20 Inc. 61 77 Strategic Programs 2,477 1,172 111% 17 Inc. 62 57 Tendercare Inc. 2,418 2,329 4% 14 63 56 J.F. Options Inc. 2,417 2,331 4% 14 64 79 DatamanUSA LLC 2,400 1,200 100% 6 64 62 Risk Removal Inc. 2,400 2,000 20% 17 66 74 Klein Buendel Inc. 2,399 1,388 73% 4 67 66 RME Electric Corp. 2,365 1,735 36% 9 68 Gutterman Griffiths 2,203 1,813 22% 4 & Powell PC 69 63 Cara Mia Medical Day 2,200 1,800 22% 9 Spa 69 67 JohnstonWells Public 2,200 1,800 22% 34 Relations 71 65 Linhart McClain 2,186 1,736 26% 10 Finlon LLP 72 GroundFloor Media 2,118 1,579 34% 4 Inc. 73 Innovar Group 2,100 1,600 31% 4 (incorporated as Hire Power Inc.) 74 69 LeGrand Hart Inc. 2,097 1,547 36% 13 75 Interior Solutions 2,000 1,900 5% 12 of Denver Inc. 76 75 AOR Inc. 1,750 1,300 35% 14 77 Leadership Forum 1,740 1,260 38% 19 Inc. (dba Executive Forum) 78 70 Rivendell 1,725 1,545 12% 16 Distribution & Sod Farm Inc. 79 80 TKP Architects P.C. 1,709 1,214 41% 26 80 71 Linden 1,650 1,500 10% 10 81 Kare Products Inc. 1,500 1,500 0% 24 82 76 Designs by Alta Ltd. 1,364 1,280 7% 25 83 89 Valerian LLC 1,223 723 69% 16 84 72 Exelcomm Commercial 1,186 1,089 9% 13 Advisors Inc. 85 82 Clarity si Inc. 1,145 955 20% 13 86 85 Schlosser Signs Inc. 1,100 840 31% 7 87 VisiTech PR 1,050 650 62% 8 88 92 Syntes Language 1,048 690 52% 17 Group Inc. 89 Wisdom...