Bowling Green Business Ranks Top 12

Hitcents Inc. Receives Pacesetter Business Recognition Award

Hitcents Inc. joins an elite group of Kentucky businesses recognized as 2008 Pacesetters at the Kentucky Celebrates Small Businesses event held in Frankfort. The Pacesetter Business Recognition Program is a new initiative that acknowledges high performing second-stage businesses that are changing the economic landscape of Kentucky by introducing innovative products; increasing sales and/or production; boosting employment; and, serving the communities of the Commonwealth.

“Hitcents’ rich history of community involvement, visionary product innovation and sustainable growth prove they are a successful business that others aspire to emulate,” said Becky Naugle, Ph.D., State Director, Kentucky Small Business Development Center. “It is an honor that a business of this caliber chooses to do business in Kentucky.”

Hitcents Inc. provides custom technology and software solutions specializing in web site development, EyeOn Automation, Omniprise ERP software, kiosk software, and Utopia self-service checkout software for clients nationwide. The company, which employs 43, received the Pacesetter Award for its sustainable growth as demonstrated by its 2007 listing on Inc. Magazine’s list of fastest growing businesses; its community involvement which includes installing an EyeOn Automation system in a house built in Louisville for ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition; and for staying ahead of industry trends through innovative product development.

Each of the twelve businesses honored demonstrate the capacity and intent to grow. In addition to Hitcents, honorees include:

• Big Meadow Oil Company Inc. – Knob Lick – 10 employees
• Custom Tool and Manufacturing Company – Lawrenceburg – 46 employees
• Interstate Natural Gas Company – Pikeville – 280 employees
• Lawrence & Associates – Louisville – 7 employees
• LCM Company – Lexington – 18 employees
• Oscarware Inc. – Bonnieville – 33 employees
• Pendleton Data Farm – Falmouth – 48 employees
• SouthEast Telephone – Pikeville – 300 employees
• The Gallaher Group – Ashland – 35 employees
• Twin Rivers Inc. – Livermore – 20 employees
• Walbert Trucking Inc. – Glasgow – 120 employees

The Pacesetter Business Recognition Program and the Kentucky Celebrates Small Businesses event are a collaborative effort between the Kentucky Small Business Development Center, headquartered at the University of Kentucky’s Office of Commercialization and Economic Development; the United States Small Business Administration; Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development; and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis – Louisville Branch. The Pacesetter Business Recognition Program will be an annual event honoring high performing second-stage businesses.