Allied Forces

Such lofty ideals were conceived, ironically, on Ferraro's sun porch--the setting for RE/COM's first few months of operation. Ferraro, who had been working in the data communication industry, reached a point where he wanted to launch his own company with longtime friend Williams. Mikula, also in the industry, served as an unofficial mentor to the fledgling duo. "Without him," Ferraro insists, "we wouldn't have been able to start."

That was in December 1993. A few years later, the three friendly rivals decided to merge their companies under the RE/COM umbrella. Says Mikula, "None of us have looked back since."

And why should they? Projecting sales of $30 million for this year, RE/COM is a testament to the power of good, strong connections. "The three of us have never had a fight or even a major disagreement," marvels Ferraro of the close-knit bond between him and his partners. "It's a relationship that's worked right from the beginning."

And relationships, ultimately, are what The RE/COM Group is all about. "We have very low turnover among employees and customers because we spend a lot of time working with them," says Ferraro. "We're very proud of that." Pride. Trust. Communication. Fun. Is there a better formula for success than that?

This article was originally published in the November 1998 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Allied Forces.