Dynamic Dozen: Russell Cellular wins top honor

by Clarissa French

SBJ Editor

cfrench@sbj.net

More than 350 area businesspeople cruised into Traffic Downtown Club March 10 for Springfield Business Journal's Dynamic Dozen Awards.

Top honors of the evening went to Jeff and Kym Russell of Russell Cellular, the No. 1 fastest growing company in the 2004 lineup.

It was an evening of many firsts. First place for Russell Cellular; first time for the Dynamic Dozen; first event at the brand new Traffic Downtown Club; and first glimpse of SBJ's 2004 Book of Lists.

SBJ Publisher and President Dianne Elizabeth said she was delighted with the substantial turnout for the first-time event, and with the positive response of the award recipients.

"Absolutely everyone I talked to was delighted and as proud to receive the award as we were to give it," Elizabeth said. "It's readily apparent to me that this is the kind of recognition event that SBJ should be involved in."

Elizabeth also praised Traffic owner Michael Ngo for providing a venue "filled with loving and expensive detail," not to mention excellent food.

Springfield CPA firm Elliott, Robinson & Company LLP served as judge for the event, reviewing the nominated companies' gross revenues for the last three fiscial years to determine the fastest-growing companies, based on a formula that considered both dollar amounts and percentage increase.

Profiles of all 12 Dynamic Dozen honorees are featured in this issue, beginning with No. 12, below, and continuing in countdown order to end with No. 1 on Page 16.

In order to compete for Dynamic Dozen recognition, companies provided their gross revenue numbers to the judges in confidence. In some cases, those figures, with the companies' permission, are included in the Dynamic Dozen profiles that appear in this issue.

In others, the companies provided other measures of their growth for publication, such as increase in number of sales representatives or growth in sales volume.

Event sponsors were Reliable Imports, Nixon & Lindstrom Insurance, Springfield's Best and Elliott, Robinson & Company LLP. Radio personality Woody P. Snow, from media sponsor Clear Channel Radio, served as emcee for the festivities.

The Dynamic Dozen is SBJ's fourth special recognition event, and completes SBJ's goal of having one such event each quarter.