With expected revenue growth of 75 to 100 percent in 2000, an increasing client base and expanding staff, IIMS will move this spring to a larger facility in central Connecticut, said Steve Rinaldi, chief executive officer and one of three partners in the company, all of whom live in Wallingford.

"We're in the initial stages. We're looking at Wallingford first. It's pretty tight in Wallingford. I want to stay here. I like where we are," said Rinaldi, partners with Eric Mudry and Jerry Sofocli in the business that focuses on designing and redesigning under-performing first-generation Web sites.

IIMS, which has about 22 employees, shares the building at 329 Main St. with Forza Computer Consulting, and the two have built a relationship referring clients to each other, said Rinaldi, a graduate of Choate Rosemary Hall and Dartmouth College. "We're talking about moving with them."

Forza, started in 1992, specializes in developing software for businesses of all sizes.

The two businesses occupy about 6,000 square feet and are looking for a 8,000- to 12,000-square-foot space, said Rinaldi, whose company now has about 175 clients.

The trio of partners announced in January a fourth-consecutive year with 100 percent growth in revenues, chief reason why the U.S. Small Business Administration named the trio as the Connecticut District Young Entrepreneurs of the Year for 1999.

Revenues have risen from $150,000 in 1996 when the company was founded to $2 million in 1999.

IIMS's strategic marketing approach to Web site design brought them 60 new clients in the last year, including start-up e-retailers and numerous business-to-business Web sites, positioning them as one of the fastest-growing Web site development companies in the region.

"To maintain a Web site's business effectiveness, companies must continually monitor how well it performs relative to the strategic goals of the organization and the needs of the customers it services," said Mudry. "Web sites must evolve along with changes in the market."

The firm has accumulated an eclectic variety of clientele ranging from the medical industry to the music industry, including personalities like Wynonna Judd, Michael Bolton, Mariah Carey and Kenny Loggins.

The strength of IIMS's blend of technology and design with business strategy and brand marketing has driven impressive results for some clients, including Outdoors Plus More, which experienced a sales increase over 1,000 percent through the Christmas shopping season after a recent redesign and online marketing campaign.

Ecommerce sites were launched in 1999 for Diamond Camera, Integrated Satellite systems, Sara Glove Safety Products and Thousand Cranes Tea. Major Web site re-designs launched in 1999 included Argo International, New Systems Group and Bristol Hospital. The partners credited their staff, which has grown to more than 30 full and part-time employees, for the company's success.

"Nobody locally was approaching Web site design from a true marketing perspective," Rinaldi said. "Our idea was to start a company that combined a core expertise in technology and design with business strategy and brand marketing to drive measurable results."

Record-Journal - February 2, 2000, By Richard Lee, Business Editor