TOP 250 ROLLER COASTER.

• Position: Brief Article

1999 WAS KIND TO COLORADO'S PUBLIC COMPANIES AND INVESTORS, TOO -- IF THEY DIDN'T MIND A LITTLE MOTION SICKNESS

Colorado is one big public-company incubator. No sooner does a company do an IPO, it seems, when an out-of-state giant starts the acquisition paperwork rolling. Of our list's top 10 alone, four -- TCI, KN Energy Corporate Express and Cyprus Amax -- are no longer locally owned. Two -- US West and Qwest -- are merging, with continuing whispers of potential foreign ownership. And at press time, two -- New Century Energies and MediaOne -- were finalizing mergers with out-of-state companies.

Of the Top 10 whose '99 numbers were available, we're looking at a good $39.97 billion in revenues. That's down from $43.27 billion in '98, but still, one wonders how that level of company will be replaced -- it's more than half the list's total $71.54 billion. Likewise, the Top 10 Market Cap (of those with both 1999 and 2000 numbers) totals $85.25 billion, or nearly one-third the total $270.55 billion and more than 50% higher than May 1999's $56.03 billion.

High-tech figured prominently among the 250. Four tech...