reprinted from Forbes
October 30, 2000

The 200 Best Small Companies in America:
Eleven to Watch

Seizing opportunities where they find them.

Best of the Small
What does it take to be the best? To begin with, solid results -- five years of consistent sales and earnings-per-share growth; four consecutive quarters of net income surpassing $1 million. But getting on this list is more than just a numbers game. We put our candidates through hell, combing financial documents for the slightest scent of trouble: bad debts, lawsuits, slow receivables, funny accounting -- all grounds for dismissal. Those that make the final cut are truly gritty survivors. As General George S. Patton told his troops: "Battle...brings out all that is best."