High-tech manufacturers here generally expect strong growth in 2011.

"This year will go down as the best year in our history on all fronts," says Mike MacKay, president of MacKay Manufacturing Inc., of Spokane Valley. "Looking forward, I think 2011 will be better than 2010, so we're feeling really quite good about what's in front of us."

The company, which makes components used in the medical, aerospace, and semiconductor industries, has done well partly because it's so diversified, he says. Medical instrumentation contributes about half of its volume, and has been a strong segment, he adds.

The company's sales have grown about 15 percent so far this year, MacKay says, adding, "If it holds up the way it is, I think we could grow another 5 to 10 percent next year. We're not complaining a bit."

The company, which serves manufacturers around the world, employs about 100 people and has hired about six workers this year.

Fred Brown, CEO of Next IT Corp., the Spokane maker of Web site customer-service software known for its answer-giving avatars, says, "We certainly have had a growth year, in terms of head count and revenue," equating to about 30 percent growth overall.

"I would expect to have another 30 percent growth" in 2011, Brown says, but he describes that trend as modest compared with how rapidly he believes the company would be growing in a healthier economy.

"In my opinion, the market is loosening up, but very tough. It's a buyers' market still, so pricing and competition are big," he says. "It's tough to get deals done."

He says, nevertheless, that he expects the company to add 30 to 40 employees next year, assuming its current "deal flow" stays on track.

Itron Inc., the Liberty Lake-based provider of meter-reading technology, has been having what CEO Malcolm Unsworth called "a fantastic year," and recently reported record third-quarter and nine-month revenues of $576 million and $1.6 billion, respectively. Boding well for next year, it also reported a 12-month backlog of $958 million and a total backlog of $1.7 billion, both up from a year earlier.

In the company's latest earnings announcement, Unsworth said, "We are excited about the potential for additional projects in North America and very pleased to see the continued momentum in Europe and other parts of the world towards adoption of smart technologies."

Key Tronic Corp., the Spokane Valley provider of electronic manufacturing services, has said it expects to achieve record revenue in its 2011 fiscal year, after posting its highest-ever quarterly revenue in its fiscal first quarter, ended Oct. 2.

—Kim Crompton