Communication Intelligence Corporation

If your intelligent communication involves hunting and pecking, try Communication Intelligence Corp. (CIC). The company's handwriting recognition software, including its SignatureOne and iSign products, recognizes character strokes of words from English, Chinese, and Western European languages and converts them to digital text. Industries served by CIC include banking, insurance, and financial services. Customers have included Charles Schwab and Wells Fargo.

Dow Chemical Co

It's a plastic world, thanks to Dow Chemical, a leader in the production of plastics, chemicals, hydrocarbons, and agrochemicals. The largest chemical company in the US and #2 worldwide (ahead of ExxonMobil and behind BASF), Dow also is a leader in performance plastics (engineering plastics, polyurethanes, and materials for Dow Automotive). Other products include polyethylene resins for packaging (such as Styrofoam brand insulation), fibers, and films, as well as performance chemicals like acrylic acid. The company also manufactures commodity chemicals (chlor-alkalies and glycols) and agricultural chemicals. Its last unit, Hydrocarbons and Energy, makes petrochemicals. Dow makes more than 3,000 products.