But as any smart civic booster will attest, the small businesses and entrepreneurs engaged in technology-related ventures are a major force in the local economy. For every larger, biotech or dominant Internet corporation, there are dozens of tinier operations that thrive on technology. They tend to pay above-average wages and bring in new revenues from outside.

While these outfits may not always get ink in economic-development literature, their importance cannot be underestimated. This month, Gulfshore Business offers profiles of four businesses that are growing through technology and undoubtedly putting their two cents-and more-into the local economy.