Leading Ladies

Women today continue to push to the forefront of small business. So for the second year, Entrepreneur and the Women Presidents' Organization set out to find north america's 50 fastest-growing women-led companies. Topping the list is one woman holding her own in a male-dominated field.

Heidi Smith Price might speak in a soft voice, but she's definitely loud enough to be heard. In fact, at only 29 years old, she has established a notable presence in a male-dominated industry. "You hardly see any women in the construction industry, much less the industrial industry," says Smith Price, who has grown her heavy industrial contractor business, Spartan Constructors LLC, from a mere $100,000 in revenue in 2003 to a projected $150 million this year--landing her securely at the top of this year's list of the 50 fastest-growing women-led companies.

In 2004, Smith Price bought majority partnership in the Sugar Hill, Georgia-based business and was up for the challenges that it presented--namely earning respect from her peers. "You just have to stand your ground and not let other people walk all over you," says Smith Price, who has focused instead on the opportunities that she knew lay beneath the surface. She immediately certified her company as a Women's Business Enterprise and was thereby able to open up her business to major contracting opportunities. This simple decision has enabled her to enjoy substantial growth over the past four years--at a rate faster than even she thought possible.

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And while many might find the turf unfamiliar, it's been Smith Price's stomping ground ever since she was a young girl learning the ins and outs of her father's construction company. That experience as his executive assistant prepared Smith Price well for her role today, which requires that she wear many hats to get the job done. This level of competency, coupled with high standards for quality control and attention to safety, has won over major clients like Georgia Power and Southern Co.

The rate at which Smith Price has grown her business is exceptional, but her success is not unusual. The Women Presidents' Organization, the nonprofit peer advisory organization for multimillion-dollar women-led and women-owned businesses, estimates that 41 percent of all privately held companies in North America are owned by women. Meanwhile, WPO members earn average annual sales of $13 million, says Marsha Firestone, founder and president of the organization. "It's very difficult to build a business. And it keeps the fire in the hearth burning to see women who have made it."

Click here for profiles of the top 20 women-led companies.

Top 50 Fastest-Growing Women-Led Companies

1. Spartan Constructors LLC
   Industrial construction  Sugar Hill, GA  spartanconstructors.com
   Heidi Smith Price
   Began: 2002 Initial Investment: $350,000 2003 sales: $100,000 2007 sales: $136 million
   
2. Pinnacle Technical Resources Inc.
   IT staffing  Dallas  pinnacle1.com
   Nina G. Vaca
   Began: 1996 Initial Investment: $300 2003 sales: $9 million 2007 sales: $141 million
   
3. Temporary Housing Directory Inc.
   Temporary housing & hotel placements  Castle Rock, CO  temporaryhousingdirectory.com
   Teresa Vidger
   Began: 2001 Initial Investment: $100,000 2003 sales: $281,000 2007 sales: $20 million
   
4. EnterForce Inc.
   Managed services provider  Waukesha, WI  enterforce.com
   Marie L. O'Brien, Filippa C. Weber
   Began: 2001  Initial Investment: $26,000  2003 sales: $1.9 million  2007 sales: $50.3 million
   
5. Strategic Staffing Solutions Inc.
   Staffing solutions Indianapolis  strategicstaffonline.com
   Debra J. Maynard
   Began: 2002  Initial Investment: $60,000  2003 sales: $1.3 million  2007 sales: $39.4 million
   
6. Polaris Direct
   Mailing services  Hooksett, NH  polarisdirect.net
   Judith Maloy, Suzanne Lampognana
   Began: 2003  Initial Investment: $2.4 million  2003 sales: $2.1 million  2007 sales: $43.9 million
   
7. Artech Information Systems LLC
   IT staffing  Cedar Knolls, NJ  artechinfo.com
   Ranjini Poddar
   Began: 1992  Initial Investment: $200,000  2003 sales: $16.5 million  2007 sales: $128.2 million
   
8. Global Resource Management Inc.
   IT & supply chain management services  Suwanee, GA  grmi.net
   Naheed Syed
   Began: 1993  Initial Investment: $100,000  2003 sales: $2.2 million  2007 sales: $39.9 million
   
9. United Scrap Metal Inc.
   Metal recycling  Cicero, IL  unitedscrap.com
   Marsha Serlin
   Began: 1978  Initial Investment: $200  2003 sales: $33.9 million  2007 sales: $172.8 million
   
10. Morpheus Media
    Interactive advertising & marketing agency  New York City  morpheusmedia.com
    Shenan Reed
    Began: 2001  Initial Investment: $0  2003 sales: $2 million  2007 sales: $35 million
    
11. Pinnacle Petroleum Inc.
    Petroleum products  Huntington Beach, CA  pinnaclepetroleum.com
    Liz McKinley
    Began: 1995  Initial Investment: $100,000  2003 sales: $19.3 million  2007 sales: $120 million
    
12. Sun Coast Resources Inc.
    Petroleum products  Houston  suncoastresources.com
    Kathy Lehne
    Began: 1985  Initial Investment: $2,000  2003 sales: $554 million  2007 sales: $1.1 billion
    
13. Salo LLC
    Senior-level finance & accounting staffing  Minneapolis  salollc.com
    Amy L. Langer
    Began: 2002  Initial Investment: $150,000  2003 sales: $3.4 million  2007 sales: $42 million
    
14. Search Wizards Inc.
    Consulting firm  Atlanta  searchwizards.net
    Leslie O'Connor
    Began: 2000  Initial Investment: $0  2003 sales: $359,600  2007 sales: $12.2 million
    
15. TransPerfect
    Translation services  New York City  transperfect.com
    Elizabeth Elting, Shirley Shawe
    Began: 1992  Initial Investment: $5,000  2003 sales: $37 million  2007 sales: $156.5 million
    
16. MediConnect Global Inc.
    Medical record retrieval & digitization  South Jordan, UT  mediconnect.net
    Amy Rees Anderson
    Began: 1996  Initial Investment: Undisclosed  2003 sales: $2.8 million  2007 sales: $35.6 million
    
17. The Saxon Group Inc.
    Industrial construction  Sugar Hill, GA  thesaxongroupinc.com
    Jeni Bogdan
    Began: 1995  Initial Investment: $100,000  2003 sales: $13.4 million  2007 sales: $81.8 million
    
18. Aecometric Corp.
    Industrial combustion equipment  Richmond Hill, Ontario  aecometric.com
    Jill Anderson
    Began: 1978  Initial Investment: $50,000  2003 sales: $1.5 million  2007 sales: $23 million
    
19. Kilop USA Inc.
    Raw materials sourcing & distribution  High Point, NC
    Christine Yumei Chen
    Began: 1988  Initial Investment: $44,500  2003 sales: $3 million  2007 sales: $28.8 million
    
20. KellyMitchell Group Inc.
    IT consulting  St. Louis  kellymitchell.com
    Cassandra Sanford
    Began: 1998  Initial Investment: $10,000  2003 sales: $4.6 million  2007 sales: $33.6 million
    
21. Communispace Corp.
    Online community creation & management  Watertown, MA  communispace.com
    Diane Hessan
    Began: 1999  Initial Investment: $100,000  2003 sales: $2.4 million  2007 sales: $23.6 million
    
22. Advantage Performance Network
    Travel & perfomance improvement solutions  Savage, MN  advantageperformancenetwork.com
    Mary Sue Leathers
    Began: 1995  Initial Investment: $40,000  2003 sales: $23.3 million  2007 sales: $85 million
    
23. RCC Associates
    General contracting  Deerfield Beach, FL  rccassociates.com
    Beverly Raphael
    Began: 1971  Initial Investment: $5,000  2003 sales: $34.8 million  2007 sales: $105.1 million
    
24. Continental Cabinets Inc.
    Cabinets  Dallas  ccabinc.com
    Beverly Taylor
    Began: 1988  Initial Investment: Undisclosed  2003 sales: $48.9 million  2007 sales: $130.8 million
    
25. Words from The Wise

    We couldn't pass up the opportunity to dig a little deeper and uncover their secrets to success.

    "Sixteen years ago, we were cold calling and struggling to land our first client, The Port Authority of New York. New Jersey called us by mistake, attempting to contact a company whose name was similar to [ours]. We kept them on the phone and discussed their IT infrastructure and project needs at length. Needless to say, they became our first client. We still laugh at this."
    Ranjini Poddar, owner of Artech Information Systems LLC, No. 7
    Cedar Knolls, New Jersey

    "The biggest mistake we ever made was undervaluing ourselves. When we started, we were young and hungry, and we didn't give ourselves credit for the amount of value we brought to our clients and strategies. So the lesson learned is: Don't undervalue yourself and your expertise, and don't let your size dictate your value."
    Shenan Reed, owner of Morpheus Media, No. 10
    New York City

    "It is important to take an inventory of your strengths and what you like to do. Focus on those things and get help for the others as soon as you can."
    Amy L. Langer, owner of Salo LLC, No. 13
    Minneapolis

    "Be a great juggler. As a woman in business, you will always have lots of balls in the air, including the activities of running your business and being strategic in your decisions to grow your business. In many cases, [you also have] the role of being a wife, a mother, a daughter and a sister. The same traits that make us great in all of these roles are the ones that you will rely on to excel in business."
    Leslie O'Connor, owner of Search Wizards Inc., No. 14
    Atlanta

    "Build an atmosphere of trust and respect. You must always respect the [employees and clients] you work with. Believe in your people. Make your word count. In addition, never lose focus on your next challenge." Jeni Bogdan, owner of The Saxon Group Inc., No. 17
    Sugar Hill, Georgia

    NCompass International Inc.
    Marketing agency  West Hollywood, CA  ncompassonline.com
    Donna Graves, Kae Erickson
    Began: 2003  Initial Investment: $1.5 million  2003 sales: $360,000  2007 sales: $7.3 million
    
26. Camp Bow Wow
    Dog day camps & boarding services franchisor  Boulder, CO  campbowwow.com
    Heidi Flammang
    Began: 2000  Initial Investment: $85,000  2003 sales: $100,000  2007 sales: $3.8 million
    
27. Casco Contractors Inc.
    General contracting  Irvine, CA  cascocontractors.com
    Cheryl Osborn
    Began: 2000  Initial Investment: $20,000  2003 sales: $3 million  2007 sales: $22.9 million
    
28. Saicon Consultants Inc.
    IT consulting  Overland Park, KS  saiconinc.com
    Swati K. Yelmar
    Began: 1998  Initial Investment: $6,000  2003 sales: $1.8 million  2007 sales: $16.5 million
    
29. Outcomes Health Information Solutions LLC
    Health-care data retreival, auditing & reporting  Charlottesville, VA  outcomesinc.com
    Wanda Kochhar
    Began: 1996  Initial Investment: $60,000  2003 sales: $3.5 million  2007 sales: $24.5 million
    
30. MurTech Consulting
    IT services  Independence, OH  murtechconsulting.com
    Ailish M. Murphy
    Began: 2000  Initial Investment: $100,000  2003 sales: $685,700  2007 sales: $10 million
    
31. Stratix Corp.
    Mobility solutions  Norcross, GA  stratixcorp.com
    Bonney Shuman
    Began: 1983  Initial Investment: $750  2003 sales: $38.2 million  2007 sales: $106.3 million
    
32. Application Development Resources Inc.
    IT services  Alpharetta, GA  appdevinc.com
    Daksha Choksey
    Began: 2001  Initial Investment: $5,000  2003 sales: $697,000  2007 sales: $9.7 million
    
33. Ricochet Fuel Distributors Inc.
    Fuel distributor  Euless, TX  ricochetfuel.com
    Kelly Brett-Roberts
    Began: 1988  Initial Investment: $20,000  2003 sales: $7.4 million  2007 sales: $36.2 million
    
34. Logical Choice Technologies Inc.
    Education technology integration  Duluth, GA  logicalchoice.com
    Cynthia B. Kaye
    Began: 1994  Initial Investment: $0  2003 sales: $19.1 million  2007 sales: $65.4 million
    
35. SaltWorks Inc.
    Sea salt  Woodinville, WA  seasalt.com
    Naomi Novotny
    Began: 2001  Initial Investment: $1,500  2003 sales: $264,000  2007 sales: $5.7 million
    
36. Icon Information Consultants LP
    IT staffing  Houston  iconconsultants.com
    Pamela O'Rourke
    Began: 1998  Initial Investment: $250,000  2003 sales: $23 million  2007 sales: $72 million
    
37. SwervePoint
    Promotional products & services  Danvers, MA  swervepoint.com
    Juli Sinnett
    Began: 2003  Initial Investment: $125,000  2003 sales: $1.9 million  2007 sales: $15.5 million
    
38. Strategic Staffing Solutions
    IT consulting  Detroit  strategicstaff.com
    Cynthia Pasky
    Began: 1990  Initial Investment: $60,000  2003 sales: $67 million  2007 sales: $148 million
    
39. Butler/Till Media Services Inc.
    Media research services  Rochester, NY  butlertill.com
    Susan R. Butler, Tracy E. Till
    Began: 1998  Initial Investment: $10,000  2003 sales: $7.1 million  2007 sales: $32.3 million
    
40. IBT Holdings LLC
    Design, building & consulting services  Norcross, GA  ibtenterprises.com
    Mylle Mangum
    Began: 1985  Initial Investment: Undisclosed  2003 sales: $15.8 million  2007 sales: $53.2 million
    
41. Carolina IT Professionals Inc.
    IT staffing  Mount Holly, NC  citpinc.com
    Phyllis Friday McConnell
    Began: 2001  Initial Investment: $500  2003 sales: $3 million  2007 sales: $19 million
    
42. Vignon Corp.
    IT staffing  Dallas  vignon.com
    Kathy Hodgins Blanck
    Began: 2001  Initial Investment: $20,000  2003 sales: $144,600  2007 sales: $3.6 million
    
43. Warrior Group Inc.
    Modular construction  DeSoto, TX  warrior-group.net
    Gail Warrior-Lawrence
    Began: 1997  Initial Investment: $1,000 2003 sales: $11.4 million  2007 sales: $41.7 million
    
44. Greenlite Lighting Corp.
    Energy-efficient lighting products  Pointe-Claire, Quebec  greenlite.ca
    Nina Gupta
    Began: 1994  Initial Investment: $1 million 2003 sales: $6 million  2007 sales: $28 million
    
45. BrightStar Healthcare
    Medical/nonmedical home-care & medical staffing franchisor  Gurnee, IL  brightstarhealthcare.com
    Shelly Sun
    Began: 2002  Initial Investment: $100,000+ 2003 sales: $1.4 million  2007 sales: $11.8 million
    
46. Bett-A-Way Pallet Systems Inc.
    Transportation solutions & pallet management  South Plainfield, NJ  bettaway.com
    June Delany, Tracey Ursini, Betty Vaccaro, Laura Vaccaro
    Began: 1996  Initial Investment: $6,000 2003 sales: $10.6 million  2007 sales: $26.2 million
    
47. ProActive Solutions Inc.
    IT solutions  Mission, KS  proactivesolutions.com
    Melissa Cather-Thiede
    Began: 1996  Initial Investment: $0 2003 sales: $9.6 million  2007 sales: $37 million
    
48. ITI Inc.
    IT & business consulting  Pearland, TX  iti-ps.com/services
    June Reeder
    Began: 2000  Initial Investment: $0 2003 sales: $1.2 million  2007 sales: $10.5 million
    
49. Trans-Expedite Inc.
    Freight forwarding  El Paso, TX  trans-expedite.com
    Keeli Jernigan
    Began: 2001  Initial Investment: $29,000 2003 sales: $3 million  2007 sales: $18 million
    
50. LetterLogic Inc.
    Mailing services  Nashville, TN  letterlogic.com
    Sherry Stewart
    Began: 2002  Initial Investment: $50,000 2003 sales: $1.1 million  2007 sales: $9.8 million