Onyx Software Tops Deloitte & Touche's 1999 Washington State Technology Fast 50; Seven Companies Among List For Fourth Consecutive Year.

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 23, 1999--

Deloitte & Touche announced tonight that Onyx Software Corporation placed first on its 1999 Washington State Technology Fast 50, a ranking of the fastest-growing technology companies in the state based on revenue growth. The announcement was made at an awards ceremony at the Four Seasons Olympic Hotel in Seattle.

Onyx, based in Bellevue, Wash., with a combined five-year revenue growth rate of 21,051 percent, narrowly edged out BSQUARE Corporation, another Bellevue-based software company that posted revenue growth of 20,141 percent over five years.

"Our state's software industry flexed its muscles on this year's Fast 50 ranking," said Larry Hile, partner with Deloitte & Touche and chairman of the Fast 50 program. "Nearly half (46 percent) of the companies represented operate in the state's booming software industry."

Onyx provides "front office" software solutions that automate sales, marketing and customer support functions. Its flagship product, Onyx Customer Center, features a common database built around customer information. Multiple audiences such as employees, partners and customers can access the database via the Internet. The company's newest product is Web-based: Onyx Enterprise Portal. It combines Onyx's front office software, third-party applications and Internet content into a digital workplace that can be personalized  for each individual user.

The "front office" market, according to industry analysts, is expected to explode in the coming years. It is projected to reach $10 billion by 2002 and an estimated $14 billion by 2003, according to Brent Frei, chief executive officer of Onyx Software.

Runner-up BSQUARE is a software engineering company providing solutions that enable the development and proliferation of a wide variety of intelligent computing devices based on Microsoft Windows  CE operating systems.

Following Onyx and BSQUARE's one-two finish on this year's list

were three other Bellevue-based companies:

--Third-place Coinstar, Inc., which develops, owns and operates a network of automated, self-service coin processing machines, with revenue growth of 14,569 percent.

-- Fourth-place MediaPro, Inc., a developer of multimedia applications for business and education, with revenue growth of 4,225 percent.

-- Fifth-place Data Dimensions, a provider of enterprise integration solutions through a comprehensive suite of knowledge-based services and products, with revenue growth of 3,309 percent.

"Each of the Fast 50 companies is on this list because they have been able to identify needs in the marketplace, provide solutions, adapt to change and sustain growth for a number of years," said Hile. "That is quite an achievement, while doing business in an environment as fiercely competitive and rapidly evolving as technology."

Seven companies included on this year's list, researched, compiled and sponsored by Deloitte & Touche and co-sponsored by CNA Architecture, Merrill Corporation, NASDAQ-AMEX, U.S. Bancorp, Piper Jaffray and Puget Sound Business Journal, have ranked among the fastest-growing in the state all four years of the award's existence. Included are:

-- ARIS Corp. (No. 10)

-- Apex Inc. (No. 15)

-- Applied Precision, Inc. (No. 48)

-- BOXLIGHT Corp. (No. 18)

-- Seitel Leeds & Associates (No. 37)

-- Shannon Electronics (No. 30)

-- SolutionsIQ (No. 35)

Half of this year's list returns from 1998, while 18 new entrants made their Fast 50 debuts. Fifteen of the top 25 reside in the Puget Sound-region's Eastside. Twenty-three of the companies included on this year's list operate in the software industry. The remainder are in communications and networking, computer services, computers and peripherals, Internet, manufacturing, medical, scientific and technical sectors.

The Fast 50 evaluation process began in April when Deloitte & Touche sent nomination forms to high tech companies throughout the state. Qualifying entries met three requirements: revenues of at least $50,000 in 1994 and at least one million dollars in 1998; must be public or private companies headquartered in Washington; and be "technology companies" defined as a company that produces technology, manufactures a technology product, is technologically intensive, uses technology in problem-solving, or devotes a high percentage of effort to research and development of technology.

The 50 winners, representing companies throughout Washington state, are eligible for inclusion in the National Technology Fast 500, a ranking of the 500 fastest-growing technology companies across the U.S. Finalists for the Fast 500 will be recognized at a CEO  summit, which will be held at Amelia Island, Fla., May 11-13, 2000.

Deloitte & Touche is a leading professional services firm, specializing in tax, accounting, auditing and management consulting services. Deloitte & Touche serves more than 200 technology-based clients in the Pacific Northwest. The technology practice group at Deloitte & Touche is dedicated to serving the needs of young, emerging companies as well as large publicly-and privately-held corporations. Deloitte & Touche's Seattle office, with more than 550 employees, is part of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.

Deloitte & Touche, one of the nation's leading professional services firms, provides assurance and advisory, tax, and management consulting services through 23,000 people in offices in more than 100 U.S. cities. Deloitte & Touche is part of Deloitte & Touche Tohmatsu, a global leader in professional services with over 82,000 people in 130 countries. Deloitte & Touche refers to Deloitte & Touche LLP, Deloitte & Touche Consulting Group LLC and related entities. For additional information, please visit Deloitte & Touche's website at www.us.deloitte.com. -0-

     Deloitte & Touche 1999 Washington State Technology Fast 50
                                  1999

    Company/City                  CEO              5-Year % Gain

1   Onyx Software Corporation
     Bellevue                     Brent Frei           21,051%
2   BSQUARE Corporation
     Bellevue                     William Baxter       20,141%
3   Coinstar, Inc.
      Bellevue                    Jens H. Molbak       14,569%
4   MediaPro, Inc.
     Bellevue                     Steven Conrad        4,225%
5   Data Dimensions
     Bellevue                     Peter A. Allen       3,309%
6   Intuitive Manufacturing Systems Inc.
     Kirkland                     Sara Gillam          3,243%
7   GST Telecommunications
     Vancouver                     Joe Basile          2,621%
8   Pacific Aerospace & Electronics Inc.
     Wenatchee                     Don Wright          1,740%
9   TekSci Incorporated
     Seattle                       Vance Hilderman     1,619%
10  ARIS Corporation
     Bellevue                      Paul Song           1,543%
11  Groupware Inc. dba GWI Software
     Vancouver                     Daren Nelson        1,522%
12  CourtLink
     Bellevue                      Matthew J. Schiltz  1,410%
13  Informatics Corporation
     Richland                      Arnold Whipple Lara 1,401%
14  Vixel Corporation
     Bothell                       James McCluney        963%
15  Apex, Inc.
     Redmond                       Kevin J. Hafer        936%
16  Visio Corporation
     Seattle                       Jeremy Jaech          705%
17  Optiva
     Snoqualmie                    David Giuliani        703%
18  BOXLIGHT Corporation
     Poulsbo                       Herbert H. Myers      692%
19  Tidemark Computer Systems, Inc.
     Seattle                       Bruce Dahl            641%
20  Hard Drives Northwest, Inc.
     Bellevue                      Hugh Stewart          638%
21  ScenicSoft, Inc.
     Lynnwood                      Erik Smith            575%
22  Sunpro, Inc.
     Zillah                        Ken McAllister        563%
23  UltraBac.com
     Bellevue                      Morgan Edwards        558%
24  Micropath Inc.
     Bellevue                      William S. Holder     533%
25  Advanced Digital Information Corp. (ADIC)
     Redmond                       Peter van Oppen       470%
26  CPDI
     Vancouver                     Dan L. Kinney         467%
27  Enabling Technology, Inc.
     Richland                      Peter S. Optekar      442%
28  Cascade Software Consulting
     Vancouver                     Rex Eads              403%
29  SONUS Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
     Bothell                       Michael A. Martino    384%
30  Shannon Electronics
     Tukwila                       Richard S. Thorp      382%
31  Kulman Technologies, Inc.
     Kirkland                      Henry C. Kuhlman      333%
32  International Telcom, Ltd.
     Seattle                       Joel Eisenberg        323%
33  AppWorx Corporation
     Bellevue                      William A. Wrenn      313%
34  MACROSTAFF, Inc. dba MACROSTAFF
     Bellevue                      Marjie Peterson       292%
35  SolutionsIQ
     Bellevue                      Douglas D. Wright     284%
36  Survival, Inc.
     Seattle                       Lee W. Brillhart III  268%
37  Seitel Leeds & Associates
     Seattle                       Peter S. Seitel       264%
38  Prototron Circuits, Inc.
     Redmond                       David A. Ryder        251%
39  Microsoft Corporation
     Redmond                       William H. Gates      212%
40  E-COMMS, Inc.
     Gig Harbor                    Robert Ellsworth      205%
41  Dexter + Chaney
     Seattle                       Mark Dexter           195%
42  Datalight, Inc.
     Arlington                     Roy L. Sherrill III   193%
43  Puget Sound Systems Group, Inc.
     Lacey                         Hans Stoker           192%
44  ZILOG
     Bellevue                      John V. Celms         191%
45  RAF Technology, Inc.
     Redmond                       David Justin Ross     190%
46  AVT Corporation
     Kirkland                      Richard J. LaPorte    182%
47  System 1 Software, Inc.
     Seattle                       Stephen Campbell      164%
48  Applied Precision, Inc.
     Issaquah                      John Stewart          159%
49  Macabe Associates, Inc.
     Seattle                       Alan T. Bryant        143%
50  Asymetrix Learning Systems, Inc.
     Bellevue                      James A. Billmaier    138%

Media Note: In recent years, Deloitte & Touche has surveyed CEOs of Fast 50 winning companies prior to the award's event. This year, with the assistance of Elway Research, Deloitte & Touche will conduct a live, interactive discussion with the audience during the Fast 50 awards.

The discussion will focus on issues and trends facing the technology industry including: challenges (i.e. adapting to a changing marketplace); the Internet and its influence; keys to success now and in the future; and hiring, recruiting and retaining qualified employees.

Results will be analyzed and published in a special Fast 50 report available in November. Copies of the report can be obtained by contacting Roberta Ohno of Deloitte & Touche at 206/233-7725 or [e-mail].