Dramatic Turnarounds

TIMOTHY LONG

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Can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].

Of course, not all the Fast Growth 100 companies have had to battle so hard for their spot on the list. In fact, aside from their galloping growth, very little distinguishes this year's crop from the general population of solution providers. Most do IT consulting services, they design and implement networks, and they serve the health-care and financial services industries. Their average mix of revenue from products and services is about half and half.

What appears to set them apart is not what they do, but how they do it. Time and time again as we talked to our Fast Growth solution providers, we heard stories of passion and ingenuity and of investments made in employees, infrastructure and customer relationships. One of the best expressions of the passion that fuels the drive for success came from No. 42 on the list—Norcross, Ga.-based Optimus Solutions, which grew its net sales 150 percent over the two-year period we reviewed. Optimus CEO Mark Metz told us: "Our plans have always been to provide long-term valued partnerships with our employees, customers and vendors. Fast growth hasn't been the objective, but it has been the result."

To celebrate these top performers, and in the spirit of bringing good ideas in the channel together, this fall CRN will host the inaugural Channel Chiefs and Fast Growth Executive Summit. For two days in October in New York, CRN will unite top channel vendor executives and the top performers among the solution provider community to share strategies. At the event, CRN will also honor a dozen of the top Fast Growth solution providers.

So check out this year's Fast Growth 100 special report starting on page 16, and keep an eye out for the insights we'll mine from the Executive Summit this fall.

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Timothy Long is Executive Editor/Features and headed up this year's Fast Growth report. Editor Heather Clancy will return with our next issue.