Some Tech Companies In Triangle Escape Layoffs

The hand-held computers that MDeverywhere developed for doctors are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, but the company's success is powerful enough to help fuel the technology sector.

MDeverywhere is one of the companies named to Metro Magazine's "High-Tech 100" list. Alan Rubin, president and CEO of the company, says it made the list by delivering more than just a good idea.

"We can deliver anywhere from a 200 to 900 percent return on an investment, which is considerable," he says.

Metro Magazine writer Rick Smith says there's been a "sea change" in the tech sector.

"The high-tech community is much more diversified than it was ten or five years ago, There is much less reliance on dot-coms and Internet-related technologies," Smith says.

Bio-tech and life science technologies seem to be doing well in the economy. Don Holzworth heads Analytical Services Inc., a research firm. While companies like Alcatel, Nortel, Cisco and IBM are laying off employees, ASI is hiring.

"We're expecting 28 percent growth ourselves this year. We anticipate a vibrant economy in this area," he says.

Smith says that if the economy does not pick up soon, some hot companies could go bust like the dot-coms that made the list last year.

The turmoil among high-tech firms has helped bio-tech companies fill their rosters. Executives say it is a lot easier to hire tech workers now than it was a year ago.