IKANO Press Releases:

IKANO RANKED in ICIC- INC Magazine Inner City 100

Date:Apri1 28, 2005
Release: IMMEDIATE

Salt Lake City-based IKANO Communications is the nation's 18th fastest growing company located in an inner city area. The Inner City 100 is a ranking of 100 of the fastest-growing businesses located in inner city areas around the country by the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) and Inc Magazine. This year's list was culled from more than 4,500 nominations in 150 cities.

With an explosive five-year growth rate of 1,253 percent, IKANO achieved the highest Inner City 100 ranking from a Utah company. The average annual growth rate for 2005 Inner City 100 companies was an astounding 827 percent for the five-year period, 1999-2003. A four-time Inner City 100 winner, IKANO attributes its success to its dedicated employees, loyal customers and new business strategies implemented in the past year.

IKANO is the world's largest provider of private-label Internet services, helping Internet Service Providers lower operating costs, increase revenue and expand their geographic reach/product offering. IKANO also enables businesses and affinity organizations to become Internet Service Providers, helping them leverage the Internet to better communicate with customers, employees, or members.

"We are proud to be a part of this elite group of companies creating jobs and revitalizing the economies of our inner cities," said Henry Smith, IKANO president and CEO. "This is an award for IKANO employees. At the end of the day, it's our devoted employees and loyal clients that make the company."

IKANO also attributes its growth to the development and expansion of its wholesale ISP group. Since the creation of its wholesale group in 2002, IKANO has added more than 475 new wholesale ISP customers. Another contributing growth factor is the strategic Internet Service Provider acquisitions IKANO has made during the past year.

A cornerstone of IKANO's success was its performance as the Official Data Services Supplier for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. In this critical role previously handled by IBM, every piece of data, large and small, passed through one of the world's most complex networks without a single interruption. IKANO received the "Order of Excellence" award for its gold-medal performance in the 2002 Games.

IKANO has received a total of $34.5 million in venture capital funding. During the past five years, the company expanded from 50 employees to more than 300 employees, creating a multitude of employment opportunities in Salt Lake City and its satellite office locations in Logan, Ohio; Pasco, Washington; and Toronto, Ontario. IKANO ranked 132nd in the 2004 Inc 500 listing of the nation?s fastest growing companies.

The Inner City 100 is the brainchild of Harvard Business School professor and ICIC founder Michael E. Porter, who wanted to focus public attention on the instrumental role that entrepreneurial companies play in rebuilding the economies of inner cities.

The Inner City 100 rankings are based on revenue growth of nominated companies that have at least 51 percent of their operations in economically distressed urban areas. A joint venture between Inc Magazine and the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, the Inner City 100 recognizes growing companies located inside cities and focuses public attention on the role those companies play in creating jobs and rebuilding the economies of America?s inner cities.

"Despite perceptions to the contrary, our research and work has continually shown that locating all or part of one?s business in an inner city gives you inherent advantages from workforce diversity and availability to proximity to transportation nodes and downtown," said Michael E. Porter, a Harvard Business School professor who founded ICIC in 1994. "By choosing to grow businesses in America's inner cities, the owners of these businesses are transforming urban landscapes across the nation."

About IKANO Communications, Inc.
IKANO Communications was founded over 10 years ago as a regional Internet service provider in the Intermountain West and since then has flourished to become the industry leader in private-label, wholesale, and retail Internet services. IKANO leverages its ISP platform to provide outstanding services at highly competitive prices. The company's rapid growth and excellence in the field have resulted in IKANO's ranking in the Inc. 500, Technology Fast 500, Inner City 100, Utah 100, and Call Center of the Year.

Companies interested in learning more about IKANO should contact info@ikano.com, or call 877.492.0121.

About Initiative for a Competitive Inner City
The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) is a national not-for-profit organization founded in 1994 by Harvard Business School professor Michael E. Porter to promote a market-based approach and cutting-edge solutions for inner-city revitalization. ICIC?s mission is to build healthy economies in America?s inner cities that create jobs, income, and wealth for local residents. We act to transform thinking, provide cities with a new vision of economic development, and engage the resources of the private sector to accelerate inner-city business growth. For more information, please visit our web site at www.icic.org .

About Inc
Inc is the leading magazine written for the men and women who own and manage small-to-mid-sized, fast-growing companies. Published 12 times a year, Inc helps its 1.5 million readers by providing expert advice and practical solutions as they face the opportunities, pitfalls, and rewards of growing a company. inc.com (www.inc.com), the Web site for growing companies, was named Best Online Magazine by Folio and Best Overall New Publication (all media) by the Computer Press Association.