Cima Consulting Ranked #33 on This Year's Inc 500 Ranking of Fastest Growing Private Companies.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Cima Consulting Group, based in Coral Gables, Florida, has been named one of America's entrepreneurial growth leaders by Inc magazine, which today released its 2002 Inc 500 ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The ranking will appear in the magazine's special Inc 500 issue, which hits newsstands October 15.

Cima Consulting Group has achieved 3,664 percent growth in the past five years. Since its inception in 1997, Cima has grown into a leading provider of enterprise systems consulting services with an emphasis in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) applications.

"When Cima was founded in 1997, we built our business based on the premise that customers place the highest value on expertise, people and customer service. These attributes have driven Cima's growth and today they remain as Cima's primary competitive differentiators," said Keith Diego Co-Founder of Cima. "We are excited to be included in the top of Inc magazine's prestigious ranking."

Started in 1982, the Inc 500 ranks the nation's leading entrepreneurial firms according to sales growth over the previous five years. Former Inc 500 companies that have gone on to become household names include Microsoft, Timberland, Domino's Pizza and Patagonia.

The 2002 Inc 500 reveals a surprising resiliency within the entrepreneurial sector, where leading companies are continuing to show dramatic rates of growth despite the recession. The average five-year growth rate of this year's Inc 500 companies is 1,521%. While that is less than the 1,933% average for companies on last year's list, it is nonetheless dramatic in the current environment.

"This is the first Inc 500 ranking to reflect the full impact of the recession," said Inc editor John Koten. "Yet these entrepreneurs are managing to confound the naysayers and move ahead despite the obstacles. They're showing that smart strategies can succeed even in the toughest of times."

To be eligible for this year's Inc 500, companies had to be independent and privately held through their fiscal year 2001, have at least $200,000 in sales in the base year of 1997, and their 2001 sales had to have exceeded 2000 sales. Holding companies, regulated banks and utilities are not eligible. Inc verifies all information using tax forms and financial statements from certified public accountants and by conducting interviews with company officials.

Cima Consulting Group is a leading provider of enterprise systems consulting services with an emphasis in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) applications. Through its strategic partnerships with PeopleSoft, E.piphany, and IBM, Cima delivers solutions that span all functional areas of a company including finance, human resources, information technology, sales, marketing, customer service, and supply chain. Founded in 1997, Cima is based in South Florida and has operations in both North America and Latin America. For more information, visit us at http://www.cimaconsulting.com/.

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CONTACT: Vikki Reynoso of Cima Consulting Group, [phone], or [e-mail]

Web site: http://www.cimaconsulting.com/