Birch Ranked in the Inc. 5000 for Second Consecutive Year

This is Birch's third Inc. 500/5000 ranking since 2004.

Atlanta, GA – August 24, 2010 - Birch Communications, a leading IP-based telecom and managed services provider for small and medium-sized businesses, announced today that it has been included in the 2010 Inc. magazine ranking of the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the United States for the second consecutive year.

Birch has been providing telecommunications and broadband Internet services to businesses for more than 14 years.  Over the past three years Birch has achieved 151% revenue growth and was also ranked the 7th fastest growing private company in Atlanta by the Atlanta Business Chronicle in 2010.

“It’s an honor to be included in the Inc. 500|5000 two years in a row,” said Vincent Oddo, Birch president and CEO. “Birch has achieved record sales growth in 2009 and 2010 amidst the most severe economic downturn since the Great Depression. We did this by providing our customers the personal attention they deserve, with bundled packages that combine voice and broadband Internet – a combination that is simply the best value in business telecom services.”

“Our solid performance during this period of growth has also enabled Birch to continue to invest in the expansion of our IP-based network,” said Chris Aversano, Birch chief operating officer. “Birch is positioned well for significant continued growth in 2011.”

Methodology

The 2010 Inc. 500|5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2006 to 2009. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by June 30, 2006. Additionally, they had to be based in the United States, privately held, for profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2009. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2006 is $80,000; the minimum for 2009 is $2 million.

About Birch Communications
Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, Birch Communications is one of the largest IP-based telecommunications and managed services providers serving small business customers in 32 states in the southeast, southwest and midwest. Birch is the first in its class to deploy a private IP-Network utilizing soft switch technology to deliver innovative, high quality, affordable voice and broadband communications services to small and medium-sized business customers. Please visit www.birch.com for more information.

Contact:
Greg Corwin, Marketing Director
greg.corwin@birch.com
816.300.1686

About Inc. Magazine
Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures LLC, Inc. (www.inc.com) is the only major business magazine dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies that delivers real solutions for today’s innovative company builders. With a total paid circulation of 712,647, Inc. provides hands-on tools and market-tested strategies for managing people, finances, sales, marketing, and technology. Visit us online at www.inc.com.