When Springfield began the nominations process for Dynamic Dozen 2009 in late 2008, the National Bureau of Economic Research had confirmed what most businesspeople already knew - the U.S. economy had entered a recession.
And as application packets from nominated companies began trickling in, we knew that this year's Dynamic Dozen would be different.
Oh, sure, the companies are still judged on four categories - both revenue and percentage growth between 2006 and 2007 and also between 2007 and 2008 - by accounting firm Elliott, Robinson & Co. Growth is the name of the game, but what we found is that many nominees were focusing simply on holding steady.
Several of the nominated companies this year decided not to compete for Dynamic Dozen for the simple fact that while they are doing OK, they're not showing the necessary growth. Most, however, assured us that they were secure enough to ride out the recession, and they plan to rejoin the Dynamic Dozen contest in the future.
What we have here, then, is a group of 12 companies that are doing more than just making it through the recession. They've moved past just surviving to thrive in a marketplace where so many industry sectors are feeling the pinch.
We've dubbed this issue "A Survival Guide" because these companies' stories offer hope - and proof - that it is, indeed, possible to build business amid financial market meltdowns, rising unemployment rates and persistent unease about economic conditions. Springfield Business Journal's coverage of these companies illustrates just how the leaders of these businesses have forged ahead, and survival tips from them are available at sbj.net/d12.
These 12 companies were celebrated at a March 5 special event at the DoubleTree convention center in Springfield. During that event, which drew about 250 people, SBJ's PowerSource made its debut. This directory-style publication features key information about more than 1,400 southwest Missouri businesses, and the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce's 2,000-member directory is included as bonus content, putting names and addresses of thousands of local businesses at readers' fingertips. While PowerSource replaced SBJ's annual printed Book of lists, those listings are included in our weekly print additions, with extended versions available at sbj.net/lists.
Dive into this year's Dynamic Dozen coverage. To get you started, I will continue the annual tradition of offering trivia tidbits.
Look inside to find out:
• Which company is breaking out of its big-market mold to capitalize on less populated areas?
• Which business finished its largest acquisition to date and will soon carry another name as part of a large national merger?
• Which company sells fuel and "not just filler," according to its owners?
• Which business says the last budget item that should be cut during a recession is employee training?
• Which honoree is taking its business model into the retail sector?
• Which company is using a private-equity capital infusion to set the stage for acquisitions?
Find the answers to these questions and learn more about how local businesses are beating the recession in this special publication.[[In-content Ad]]
Maria Hoover is Springfield Business Journal features editor. She can be reached at mhoover@sbj.net.
