This
year's Fantastic 50
Related
stories:
This
year's Fantastic 50 (intro)
The 2002 Fantastic 50 (chart)
Highest Overall Growth Rate: RGI
- Robinson Gareiss
Manufacturing winner: Parker
Compound Bows
Retail-Wholesale winner: Schiller
International
Service winner: The
Cube Corp.
Technology winner: TechBooks
Corporate
giants often seem to grab the lion's share of attention,
but the truth is, some of the best business stories
come from smaller companies. Consider the ones in this
year's Fantastic 50 contest. What sustains small business
men and women is their unusual mix of talents, such
as tenacity and vision and an appetite for risk. There
is plenty of the last, to be sure. For small companies
there is no safety net, and the executives who make
key decisions know a wrong move could bring disaster,
for themselves and the employees who count on them.
The
trends of the state and national economies are reflected
in this year's list of winners of the Fantastic 50,
now in its seventh year. The vast majority are service
or technology companies. There are few manufacturing
or retail-wholesale businesses - not surprising, given
the strain those sectors have been under in recent years.
The contest gives special recognition to the overall
revenue growth winner and the growth leaders in the
categories of technology, service, manufacturing and
retail-wholesale.
To
be eligible, contestants had to be privately owned and
headquartered in Virginia. They needed to have revenues
of at least $200,000 in 1997, the year used to establish
the company's four-year revenue growth rate. By 2000
companies had to have a positive net income. Also, their
most recent fiscal year revenues must be below $100
million. The accounting firm of Goodman and Company
conducted the review of company financial records to
determine the winners. The contest is organized by the
Virginia Chamber of Commerce and Virginia Business.
The
winners will be honored at a banquet in Richmond on
May 8, hosted by the chamber and supported by Virginia
Business, Goodman and Company, SunTrust Bank and Virginia's
Center for Innovative Technology. A reception before
the banquet will be sponsored by the Old Dominion Electric
Cooperative.
-
The Editors
Return
to Virginia Business - May 2002
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