Deloitte 500 Spotlights Fast-Growing Tech Firms

Occam Networks Inc., a Santa Barbara, Calif.-based company that sells broadband access products, topped the 2006 Deloitte Technology Fast 500

Occam Networks' products enable telecom service providers to offer bundled voice, video, and data over copper and fiber optic networks. The company demonstrated revenue growth over five years of 48,948 percent, moving from revenues of $80,000 in 2001 to $39.2 million in 2005, Deloitte said Thursday.

"Although the growth rate for top performers is extremely high, the trend line since 2002 continues to fall," said Tony Kern, U.S. deputy managing principal of Deloitte's technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) industry practice. "Factors contributing to this decline include maturation and consolidation in telecommunications, as well as computer, peripherals and software."

For the first time in years, about five of the top 10 companies are based in Canada, up from one last year.

The ranking by Deloitte & Touche USA LLP of the fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, and life sciences companies in North America is based on percentage revenue growth over five years, fiscal year revenues 2001"2005.

Westport Innovations Inc., a Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, public company and supplier of alternative fuel power technologies, came in at No. 2. Litle & Co., a Lowell, Mass., private company that provides payment processing and management services to direct commerce merchants ranked No. 3.

Litle & Co. CEO Tom Litle believes the company's success stems from the technology platform and architecture designed and built after the banking industry went through a major shift focused on protecting consumers' identity and privacy. "The changes in technology requirements those issues drove on banking systems were immense," he said.

Airborne Entertainment Inc., a Montreal, Canada, private communications/networking company that develops and packages mobile content, ranked No. 4.