INDUSTRY

Ping Fu, chairman, president and CEO of Geomagic, a worldwide software and services firm headquartered in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, will be the keynote speaker at the Inc. 500 Conference and Awards Ceremony, to be held in Savannah, Georgia, March 30 - April 2. Inc. magazine, the leading publication for American entrepreneurs, named Fu its Entrepreneur of the Year, and she was the subject of the magazine's cover article in the December 2005 issue. Each year the Inc. 500 celebrates the remarkable achievements of the men and women who have created the 500 fastest-growing private companies in America. Leaders such as Bill Gates of Microsoft, Oracle's Larry Ellison, and Joe Mansueto of Morningstar, as well as companies ranging from Domino's Pizza to Timberland, all first gained renown as members of the Inc. 500. Fu co-founded Geomagic in 1996. The company's products enable designers and engineers to transform scan data from physical objects into highly accurate digital models. Applications range from computer simulations of racing cars to reconstruction of historic treasures to new processes that speed quality inspection. The company has defined and dominated the high-tech field of digital shape sampling and processing (DSSP). Over the last five years, Geomagic revenues have grown by 2,105 percent. In the 2004 fiscal year, net income rose by 615 percent, the number of Geomagic employees doubled, and the company experienced worldwide growth, establishing fully owned subsidiaries throughout Europe and Asia. "It is an honor to speak at the Inc. 500 Conference," says Fu. "When I do so, I represent Geomagic employees, who have built an innovative and valuable company using the power of DSSP." More information about the conference and Ping Fu's keynote address can be found at its Web site.