Brief Profiles of Inc. 500 Companies

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423
Family Matters
Bringing on Baby
Richard Doyle doesn't hire only people who are the youngest children in their families, but he does think they fit in especially well at Mass. Bay Brewing. In fact, seven of the company's eight managers are the youngest or second-youngest in their families. "Younger children are often more able to be risk takers," says CEO Doyle, who is also a youngest. (Surprised?) "They can do something that's off the beaten track."

457, 458, 459
Play's the Thing
Does Anyone on This Page Actually Work?
What these companies share, aside from proximity in this ranking, is a unique approach to rewarding employees. GeoAccess, for example, provides its workers with five fully stocked pantries and has lunch delivered every day. "The payoff is twofold," says Joy Weaver, the company's equivalent of a chief financial officer. (GeoAccess uses no titles.) "First, it keeps people in the office, available for phone calls, and second, it helps develop camaraderie." It also helps with recruiting. For its part, Noble-Met has a 4,000-square-foot "break room," equipped with a dart board, as well as pool, air hockey, Foosball, and Ping-Pong tables. And Bell Oaks, an executive-search firm, rewards its employees with Bell Bucks, which are redeemable during an annual auction. Among past items up for bid: a big-screen TV, a PC, and camping equipment. "It's very motivating to people," says CEO Price Harding, who spent $7,000 on prizes last year. "It facilitates bonding--and an appropriate level of competition."

478
The Next Management Fad?
Passing the Bucks
Old Style: Employees get bonuses
Bold Style: Employees give bonuses
There are no managers at Entact, and CEO Phil Pisani prefers it that way. But given their absence, Pisani wondered, how could he run a performance-based bonus plan? Pisani's brave solution: let employees award bonuses to one another. Each of Pisani's 50 salaried employees is provided with $500 worth of "Entact Green," with which to recognize valued coworkers, and $300 worth of "Brain Bucks," to reward a colleague for an innovative idea. "When somebody has done something good day in and day out, you can reward them without having to ask for permission," says Pisani. "There are no parameters at all." The company's controller then pays the recipient with real cash.

How the Inc. 500 were selected
Companies must have been independent and privately held through 1996, must have had at least $200,000 in base-year sales, and must have shown a sales increase from 1995 to 1996. In addition, companies must have generated sales revenues for at least six months in fiscal year 1992. Sales figures for agencies (such as advertising agencies) are net sales to the company. Holding companies and regulated banks and utilities are not eligible. We verified information using tax forms and financial statements from certified public accountants and through telephone interviews with company officials. The base-year-sales requirement of $200,000 is adjusted periodically for inflation. The 1997 Inc. 500 list was prepared under the direction of Elyse M. Friedman and Beth Gunn. To request an application for next year's Inc. 500, call 617-248-8484, or send a fax to 800-335-3348.

Stories prepared by the Inc. 500 research team (see below) and Jay Finegan, Mike Hofman, and Jerry Useem.

The Inc. 500 research team members are Douglas Falk, Deanna Zammit, Shane McLaughlin, Lynn Babiarz, Wendy Prygoda, Nancy Simmons, Allison DeNapoli, Sarah Baker, Mike McLoughlin, Nicole Burnham Onsi, and Anthony Azzariti.

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