Press Room

Imaging Business Machines Lands on Inc 500 IBML Achieves
Five-Year Growth Rate of 459%

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - October 9, 2002 - Imaging Business Machines, the manufacturer of the ImageTrac® high-speed color scanning platform, today announced it 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.

Imaging Business Machines achieved a five-year growth rate of 459%, with sales growing from $3.5 million in 1997 to $19.7 million in 2001. At number 487 on the Inc 500 list, IBML is proud to be in the company of other high-growth organizations who have earned a place on this celebrated national ranking. Previously, the company has been recognized as an industry leader through the TAWPI Hall of Fame and Best of AIIM awards as well as through local honors such as the Best in Business and FastTrack awards.

"Everyone at Imaging Business Machines played a key role in the growth that has earned us a spot on the Inc 500. We are proud that our dedication to customer service and manufacturing high quality color ImageTrac scanners enabled us to achieve such a prestigious ranking. It is a privilege to help represent Birmingham on the Inc 500," says Gary Murphy, president and CEO of Imaging Business Machines.

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.Started in 1982, the Inc 500 ranks the nation's leading entrepreneurial firms according to sales growth over the previous five years.

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. Average 2001 sales for the Inc 500 dropped only slightly, from $24,976,000 to $24,706,000. More than two-thirds (73%) of 2002 Inc 500 companies are profitable. Despite the technology bust, "Computer Software & Services" remains the leading industry category, representing nearly 40% of firms on the list.

"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."

About Imaging Business Machines
Imaging Business Machines provides intelligent scanning technology for the most demanding document imaging applications, including mixed documents of different weights, sizes and compositions. The company's ImageTrac Scanning Platform consists of the ImageTrac scanners, SoftTrac user interface and professional services. ImageTrac scanners offer front and rear color image capture, multiple image outputs, barcode, 2D barcode, OCR, MICR and up to 31 sort pockets. Every day, hundreds of ImageTracs in 24 countries worldwide capture a total volume of more than 15 million color and bitonal images. Visit www.ibml.com for more information.

About Inc
Inc, the premier magazine for growing companies, may be accessed online at www.inc.com. The magazine is owned by Gruner + Jahr USA, one of the top-ranked magazine publishers in the U.S., reaching one of the largest readerships in America. In addition to Inc, Gruner + Jahr USA publishes Child, Family Circle, Fast Company, Fitness, Inc, Parents, and YM. G+J USA is 25.1% owned by the Jahr Group and 74.9% owned by Bertelsmann AG, the largest privately held and the fifth largest media company overall in the world with yearly revenues at $17.86 billion.