Oct. 20, 2004 -- Long Wave of Oklahoma City and TPi Billing Solutions of Tulsa made repeat appearances on the 2004 Inc. Magazine list of the top 500 fastest growing independent companies in the United States.  Long Wave was ranked #128 and TPi Billing Solutions was ranked #295.

Rounding out the list were Partners Human Resources, Oklahoma City, #218; DataStream Market Intelligence, Owasso, #256; Computer System Designers, Oklahoma City, #276; First Financial Network, Oklahoma City, #309; and Weather Decision Technologies, Norman, #454.

Leaping up the list from #437 in 2003 to #128 this year, Oklahoma City's Long Wave reported total sales growth of 238.9 percent over the past five years. Founded in 1995,. Long Wave is a defense contractor providing military communications, IT, and XML software services to both the high-tech government sector and commercial industries.

Long Wave currently has employees and provides services in fifteen states, Guam, MI, Keflavik, IC, Croughton, UK and Toulouse, FR.

As if to ensure its spot again on next year's list, TPi Billing Solutions,  which currently employs 75 people, recently announced it plans to add 30 to 50 jobs within a year and 100 additional employees over the next five years.  Established in the 1960s, TPi has three primary divisions: invoice production, a customer contact center, and a collection center. The company, which was ranked #20 last year on the Inc. 500 list,  built its reputation by delivering custom billing solutions for companies such as AT&T, handling the long-distance phone giant's outsourced billing requirement in 32 states. TPi's current expansion is a result of the company's entry into medical billing.

To make Inc.'s top 500, TPI reported total sales growth of 612 percent over a five-year period. The company reported sales revenue of about $50 million last year, with expectations for 20 to 30 percent growth this year.  At a recent press joint press conference held by TPi, Tulsa Mayor Bill LaFortune and the Tulsa Metro Chamber, Chamber economist Bob Ball estimated that TPi's five-year growth plan should have a $38.6 million annual economic impact on the Tulsa area.

Reporting a four/five-year average annual sales growth of 664 percent, Partners Human Resources of Oklahoma City made its debut on the Inc. 500 list at #218. The company earned $15.2 million in revenues with an average annual growth rate of 166 percent.

Entering the Inc. list for the first time at #256, Owasso-based DataStream Market Intelligence, Inc. has been in the retail data collection business since 1986, incorporating in early 1999. The company's client list includes multi-national oil companies as well as local and regional independents. Services offered include price surveys, mystery shopping, and market surveys.  The company's revenues for 2003 were $2.3 million with an average annual growth rate of 143 percent.

Computer System Designers, located in Oklahoma City, was founded in 1994 as a provider of computer-based training systems and instructional services to the federal sector. The company, which ranks #276 on this year's Inc. 500 list, now has four operating divisions, including training, engineering, information systems and technical.  CSD's primary customers include the Federal Aviation Administration Academy, the FA Logistics Center, and the Defense Information Systems Administration.  The company reported 2003 revenues of $7.8 million with an average annual growth rate of 131 percent.

In a recent interview with The Oklahoman, Bliss Morris, president and CEO of First Financial Network, said their focus as a niche business has contributed to their growth over the past 15 years. The Inc. 500 #309 company serves as a connection between sellers and buyers of loans. With clients in the United States, Latin America and Germany, the company still feels strongly in Oklahoma City as its base. "…I and the staff at First Financial Network believe very strongly in the Oklahoma City community. We love Oklahoma," said Bliss.

Since it was founded, FFN has executed the sale of more than $16 billion in assets. In 2003, the company earned $9.2 million in revenues with a 118 percent average annual growth rate, earning its first spot on the Inc. 500 list.

If Norman is the Silicon Valley of the weather industry, then Weather Decision Technologies is enjoying fair skies. The company's commercial weather systems make accurate, real-time predictions of how severe weather may threaten a customer's employees, assets and operations. Reporting 2003 revenues of $2.1 million and total growth for the past five years of 326 percent, Weather Decision Technologies made #454 on the Inc. list for 2004.

To be eligible for Inc.'s 500, companies must show sales growth for five years, with reported revenue of at least $200,000. All companies on the list are independent and privately held. For more information about the Inc. 500, go to: http://www.inc.com/resources/inc500/index.html .