Missouri companies cited as fastest growing high-tech firms

Four Missouri-based companies were recently named by Business 2.0 magazine among the 100 fastest growing technology companies in the United States. The companies were cited for outpacing others in a combination of cash flow, revenues, earnings and stock performance. In all, more than 2,000 publicly traded technology companies were reviewed in this study.

Cerner of Kansas City was the Missouri company with the highest ranking at 22, followed by Jack Henry & Associates of Monett at 55, DST Systems of Kansas City at 72, and Amdocs of St. Louis at 100.

This showing by Missouri companies is very significant because companies like these are key to our state's future economic security. Technology companies like these offer higher paying jobs that will help offset the increasing national trend away from manufacturing jobs which have traditionally been a valuable source of employment.

Another important point is that while three of the four fast growth companies are based in metropolitan areas, Jack Henry is located in Monett population 7,396 in southwest Missouri's Barry County. In addition to providing well paying jobs, technology companies hold tremendous economic potential because they can be located almost anywhere in the state.

All these companies need is a quality work force to draw from. Workers seeking the lifestyle available in rural areas of Missouri can find good jobs. Rural communities wanting to maintain their population bases can accomplish that by attracting technology companies.

The same holds true for urban areas. Workers wanting to live in urban settings can find opportunities with these kinds of companies. Technology-based companies are keys to economic growth in all parts of our state.

Jack Henry is a leading provider of high quality, integrated computer solutions and customer service to a wide segment of the nation's financial institutions. The company was founded in 1976 and became a publicly traded company in 1985. It has more than 2,000 employees, many of them in Missouri.

Cerner, with nearly 5,000 employees, is one of Missouri's fastest growing companies. Cerner helps health care organizations store and disseminate clinical and financial data.

Among the top 100 companies, Cerner ranked 10th in percentage of growth in employees.

DST Systems, also based in Kansas City, is an 11,000-employee company that helps manage 80 million mutual fund accounts. Amdocs, based in Chesterfield, has 8,000 employees providing information solutions to the leaders of the communications and information technologies industry worldwide.

It is very exciting to see these Missouri companies nationally recognized for their rapid growth. High tech companies are truly the key to our future economic growth, and that is why our department is targeting technology-based economic development.

Not only are we trying to recruit high tech companies to come to Missouri, but we also are focused on growing our own companies.

Missouri is blessed with some world class research institutions and universities; we are working to transfer that research into commercial products that can be produced in Missouri and provide well paying jobs with rapidly growing companies.

In addition, we are working hard through our business and education partners to ensure we have a highly skilled work force that can make these high tech companies competitive and profitable. High tech companies are our future, and we are doing everything possible to ensure that future is very bright.