Protokraft Named 2007 Hot 100 Company by BusinessTN Magazine

New award honors Protokraft for exceptional growth

Kingsport, TN – December 3, 2007 – Protokraft, LLC, a leading provider of optical communication components for harsh environments, today announced that it has been named a 2007 Hot 100 company by Business Tennessee Magazine.  The 2007 Hot100 is a new awards program that recognizes the fastest growing companies in the state of Tennessee. "We are honored to be named to the BusinessTN 2007 Hot 100 list" said Robert Scharf, co-founder and president of Protokraft. "This is the second consecutive year that we were selected by BusinessTN as one of the fastest growing companies in the State of Tennessee. This award confirms that Protokraft continues to expand its customer base, product range, geographic coverage and market position.”

“The Hot100 list also inescapably involves increased editorial judgment. BusinessTN’s staff chose 33% of the companies on this list based on knowledge of the company’s success and references from knowledgeable sources about area companies performing well.” noted Drew Ruble, editor of Business Tennessee Magazine.  “That change made it all the more difficult for applicants to make the list: the number of applications submitted reached an all-time high just as the percentage of submitting companies selected for the list hit an all-time low.”

This year, BusinessTN introduced the Hot100 List, an expanded revamp of the original Fast50 Award. Eligible companies are still required to be Tennessee-based, employ at least five people and have revenues in excess of $750,000. They also must be companies with a bright future. However, this new list does more than just double the number of companies profiled. It also expands the criteria in an effort to include those more established companies whose growth is remarkable but who do not— and cannot—keep pace with young startup companies rocketing to early success. Additional criteria include employee growth, growth over a period of years and growth as compared to industry average.

About Business Tennessee Magazine

Business and political decision-makers look to Business Tennessee magazine to learn what's happening throughout the state, but even more to understand it. The magazine reports on the people and issues that define Tennessee and shape its future. The magazine offers a mix of regionally based stories and reporting with statewide impact. Business Tennessee is recognized each year with national awards for excellence. In a relatively short time, Business Tennessee has made itself indispensable to Tennessee's business community. Nobody knows Tennessee like Business Tennessee.

About Protokraft

Facilitating secure communications in harsh environments, Protokraft designs and manufactures high-speed optoelectronic components and subsystems for military, aerospace and other harsh environment networking equipment applications. The company provides fiber optic transceiver subsystems for short-reach (1.0 meter to 20.0 kilometer) harsh environment optical-networking connections, including optical network switches, optical enterprise and storage area networks (SAN), and tactical optical access networks. Protokraft is located in Kingsport, TN. For more information, see www.Protokraft.com or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . 

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