Warsaw-Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce member ENS Group has been recognized as one of the 2012 Indiana Companies to Watch, an awards program presented by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, its Small Business Development Center and the Edward Lowe Foundation.

Technology consulting firm ENS Group is committed to creating custom solutions that help businesses understand and use technology. The company’s core practices include data center design, network technologies, managed services, business continuity, and training. ENS Group has also been named to the 2011 Inc. 500|5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America.

About Indiana Companies to Watch
Companies to Watch firms must employ between six and 150 full-time equivalent employees, have between $750,000 and $100 million in annual revenue or working capital in place, and demonstrate the intent and capacity to grow based on employee or sales growth, exceptional entrepreneurial leadership, sustainable competitive advantage or other notable strengths.

This year the program attracted more than 160 nominees and applicants. From that pool, 63 finalists were selected, and 25 companies emerged to become the 2012 class of Indiana Companies to Watch.

This awards program is unique because of its focus on second-stage companies. The impact of these companies on Indiana’s economy is tangible. During 2007-2009 Indiana’s resident companies averaged more than 32,000 second-stage establishments according to YourEconomy.org, an online resource of the Edward Lowe Foundation. Those second-stagecompanies employed an average of more than 773,000 workers during the period of 2007-2009.

Looking at the contributions of these companies from a different perspective, from 2007-2009 only 9.2 percent of Indiana’s resident establishments were in the second-stage category, however, they generated 37.2 percent of jobs in the state.

This program would not be possible without the generous support of Barnes & Thornburg LLP as well as Premier Capital Corporation, Katz, Sapper & Miller, KeyBank, Miles Printing and Purdue University. The program is also supported by Ivy Tech Corporate College and media sponsors BizVoice magazine, Inside Indiana Business and Northwest Indiana Business Quarterly.

About the program presenters:
The state of Indiana’s lead economic development agency, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation oversees Indiana’s statewide business attraction and development efforts, coordinates state programs, and incentives for companies looking to grow in Indiana, and provides assistance and funding to Indiana entrepreneurs and high-tech start-ups.

The Indiana Small Business Development Center Network offers free and low-cost strategic assistance for growth oriented entrepreneurs and businesses with less than 500 employees. Funded in part by the federal and state government, the ISBDC is focused on growing the economy through small businesses.

The Edward Lowe Foundation inspired the creation of the Companies to Watch program to celebrate second-stage entrepreneurs and their companies. Established in 1985, the Edward Lowe Foundation is a Michigan-based nonprofit organization that supports entrepreneurship through recognition, education and research with a focus on second-stage companies—those that have moved beyond the startup phase and seek significant, steady growth. The foundation also encourages economic gardening, an entrepreneur-centered strategy providing balance to the traditional approach of business.

From the Warsaw-Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce