Northwest High Tech—Sixth Edition covers the computer industry of Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. It profiles nearly 2,100 companies engaged in computer-related businesses, from software development, programming and/or publishing, to hardware manufacturing and services related to computer reselling, systems integration, support and training. In addition, we have included companies that provide support services to the computer industry of this region, such as legal firms with high-tech practices, technical writers, photographers and public relations agencies that specialize in assisting computer-related businesses. Companies are not charged for being listed.

The region’s computer industry has followed the pattern of slow but steady growth seen elsewhere in North America during the past two years. Of the 572 new listings in the directory, 132 are companies that have been formed since 1994. Only 391 companies that were previously listed are now inactive compared with the 430 that went out of business between 1992 and 1994.

While large companies such as Microsoft Corp. dominate the region’s industry, innovation and vitality still spring from the hundreds of far smaller companies operating across the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada. The rapid rise in popularity of the Internet has spurred many of them—including a large number of the startups—to focus on offering products and services that take advantage of this technology. So while these companies may be small, their concepts are sophisticated—a fact that is mirrored in the level of expertise they seem to be seeking in new staff. It’s no longer enough, for example, for technical job-seekers to offer programming skills in C++ and Visual Basic; more and more, expertise in advanced and “hot” new tools and technologies, like Java, is becoming a must.

How the information was compiled

Information on more than 95 percent of the companies was obtained directly from the companies, either by phone or in writing. Some information was researched through periodicals and company literature.

In general, companies with multiple offices or plants provided information about the specific facility listed in the guide, particularly the names of officers. Varying accounting practices, however, forced some to provide employee and sales statistics for the company as a whole. Many listings also include details on specific, but not necessarily all, products and services provided by the companies. Because of the dynamic nature of the computer industry, the information presented here is subject to change without notice.

How the companies are classified

The distinctions between the traditional sectors of the industry— software, hardware and sales/service — have blurred. Companies, therefore, are listed first by state or province and then alphabetically, not by business activity. Company profiles include primary and, where applicable, secondary Standard Industrial Classification codes.

This classification system is used by the U.S. government to identify most forms of industrial activity. Those codes that are most relevant to the computer industry and its main support services have been assigned to the companies in this directory in an effort to more precisely and consistently indicate the nature of each business.

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