The 500

 

"Sales growth is not our objective," says Roizen. High margins are. Let others try to make their companies the next Microsoft, she says. "We like it when we can do 20% of the work and get 50% of the revenue."

#353

MID-SOUTH COMMUNICATIONS INC.

MEMPHIS

In the 1960s, it was alternative newspapers. In the '70s, it was city magazines. Now, in the entrepreneurial '80s, it's regional business journals that are the hot publishing properties, this year breaking into the INC. 500 for the first time with Mid-South Communications.

There are about 200 of the business regionals around the country now, offering business executives a different perspective and more in-depth coverage than the consumer-oriented reporting of most local newspapers. Journalistically, Ward Archer's Mid-South Memphis and Nashville papers are considered among the best. By one estimate, as much as 90% of the advertising for the business regionals has been siphoned off from local media -- newspapers, city magazines, even local radio. But that is about to change: with nearly half the magazines already consolidated into multijournal operations like Mid-South's, they have begun to make a bid for national advertisers as well. It is perhaps no coincidence that advertising pages for business regionals are up 7% this past year -- about the same amount that advertising pages in national business publications are down.

#385

GOOD NEWS TRAVELS INC.

EASLEY, S.C.

Christmas in Opryland with a pilgrimage to the Minnie Pearl museum. Springtime in Michigan with entertainment by the stars of "The Lawrence Welk Show." A summertime holiday in Dollywood. These are among the offerings of Good News Travels, a Christian group-touring company intent on helping its customers "explore God's creation." Run by John Tribble out of a small Easley, S.C., office, Good News Travels will coordinate about 175 vacations this year for senior groups, civic clubs, and those who want a tour that starts each day with prayer.

Unlike some of the other religious-oriented enterprises around the country, Good News Travels claims it has been unaffected by the Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker scandals at the PTL Club. "We're different in that we offer people something tangible for their money," says Tribble. "It's sad what happened. So many people put their trust in Jim and Tammy Bakker instead of Jesus Christ."

#441

LANDSCAPES UNLIMITED INC.

LINCOLN, NEBR.

Think of fast-growing companies and where do you picture them? San Jose? Tampa? Boston? How about Lincoln, Nebr.? This city of only 185,000, in the middle of the country, in the middle of an agricultural depression, is home to four companies on this year's INC. 500. There's a publisher of phone books (United Phone Book Advertisers, #6) and a distributor of computer supplies (Data Source Media, #250), a contractor for interior space (Interior Surface, #476) and one for exterior spaces, too (Landscapes Unlimited). Landscapes Unlimited's president William Kubly admits that if he were dependent on the Nebraska economy, he would have been out of business years ago. His company's crews, he says, spend most of their time on the road, building golf courses in other states. Then why stay in Loncoln? Kubly credits a pleasant community, the lively atmosphere of a state capital, and the University of Nebraska's Cornhuskers football games.

#465

FLUORESCENT MAINTENANCE SERVICE INC.

BROOKSVILLE, FLA.

Don't tell Jimmy Williams that his future looks bright -- it's a really tired joke to a guy who changes light bulbs for a living. And don't ask him how it is that he married the boss's wife. "It always sounds so bad," he laments.

The facts are that Fluorescent Maintenance Service is a company that both designs lighting plans and sends crews out to systematically clean and replace the bulbs. When founder Rex Knowles died in 1980, the company was left to drift for several years without any senior management. Williams, a former employee, was finally recruited to return to help Margaret Knowles "clean up the mess," and along the way they fell in love and got married. He is the president, she the vice-president, with 76% of the equity.

As for the company's turnaround, Williams attributest it mostly to his own plan of linking its fee directly to a client's energy savings. And the savings, it turns out, are considerable. Williams claims companies can shave as much as 50% off their electric lighting bills from installation of more energy-efficient lighting units and regular washing of bulbs and fixtures.

#490

MERRY MAIDS INC.

OMAHA

INC. readers will remember that, back in June, we profiled the rise and fall of Carol Brothers and her ill-fated cleaning service franchise, Pop-Ins. Now, here's one that did it right. Dallen Peterson started Merry Maids in 1980 and today has the largest house-cleaning operation in the country. Like Brothers, Peterson says he started with no previous experience in franchising, coming out of a long career in corporate management. But unlike Brothers, who put most of her energy into promotion and marketing, Peterson concentrated on extensive training and reliable support for the 415 franchises now located in 44 states.

HOW THE INC. 500 WERE SELECTED

You might say that Deborah Weeks is the 501st member of the INC. 500. By the time December rolls around, she certainly feels like one. Her annual checklist is a long one: maintain individual files on each of the thousands of companies that apply; enter final data on each applicant on the research department computer; calculate rankings and determine breakdowns by industry, sector, and state; check, recheck, and re-recheck the final list. Oh, and most important: humor the INC. 500 senior editor.

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