Inc. Magazine: May 1, 1999

Rebuilding Blocks

After moving his company to a once-desolate section of Oklahoma City, Tom Wilson, the CEO of Architectural Design Group, helped to revitalize the area by restoring its historical architecture.

Competing Interests

Several Inner City 100 CEOs explain why they don't fear the influx of new rivals. Close ties to customers, adaptability, and local networking prove powerful weapons against giant competitors.

CEO's Notebook

CEOs give advice on: learning how to identify the customers you don't want; enhancing your employees' health coverage; and integrating new employees into an existing company culture.

The Future of Business

Reviews of five new business books, including the latest work by management guru Peter Drucker. Plus: the founder of GeoCities reveals what he's been reading lately.

Photo Opportunities

Nick Graham, founder of Joe Boxer, gives his singular take on the art of calling attention to yourself and your company.

Negotiator, Know Thyself

In an excerpt from his new book, "Bargaining for Advantage: Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People," Shell provides a seven-point checklist to help you hone your negotiating skills.

Being There

A collection of five short articles about companies from the 1999 Inner City 100. CEOs explain why they started their businesses in the inner cities and cite key inner-city disadvantages.

America's Best-Kept Secret

An introduction to the 1999 Inner City 100. Explains how the winners were selected and describes the ways that companies on the list made their locations a business advantage.

A Window on the New Economy

The founder of the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City describes the four key competitive advantages of an inner-city location.

By the Numbers

Inner City 100 CEO A.J. Wasserstein describes the unexpected benefits he's reaped by starting his company, Archives Management, in an economically depressed section of Waterbury, Conn.

Empire of the Sons

Here's why the three brothers who founded Pac-Van, the 1999 #1 Inner City 100 company, decided to stay close to the inner-city location where both their father and grandfather had run businesses.

The New Urban Chic

Here's how several inner-city CEOs turned unlikely office space into architectural gems that helped enhance their businesses' identities and corporate cultures.

Insider Training

To staff his company, Tucker Technology, CEO Frank Tucker began recruiting the raw talent he saw every day in the economically challenged parts of Oakland, Calif.

The Old Neighborhood

No one knows Newark, N.J., like CEO Louis Dell'Ermo. As it turns out, that's become a powerful selling point for his company, Gateway Security.

The Inner City 100 Almanac

A statistical look at the 1999 Inner City 100 companies and the CEOs who run them.

Local Area Network

By opting to keep her high-tech start-up, Thermagon Inc., in Cleveland, founder Carol Latham was able to leverage her local ties to build a sophisticated network of investors and employees.

FYI: The Inner City 100

Inc.'s editor explains how the Inner City 100 became a joint venture between Inc. and the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) and why the ICIC represents a new breed of nonprofits.

Letters

Readers react to articles from the February 1999 issue of Inc., including the cover package, "I Was Seduced by the New Economy" and David H. Freedman's "Intensive Care.

Upstarts: Virtual Campuses

Here's how start-up University Access partnered with universities and PBS to sell long-distance learning programs. Plus: why corporations are likely customers for virtual campuses.

Impotence Clinic Flops In Wake of Viagra

Overly rapid expansion coupled with the introduction of the drug Viagra drove impotence-treatment clinic Integrated Medical Resources out of business.

A Moving Experience

Relocating your business can be an agonizing and expensive experience. But when you weigh the benefits against the costs, moving could be the best thing you could do for your company.

It's Not That Easy Going Green

Duncan Berry, ardent environmentalist and CEO of Apparel Source Inc., describes the ethical dilemma he faced when he learned that his industry causes massive amounts of pollution.

What Level Playing Field?

Forget the notion that anyone with a good idea can launch a hot Internet start-up. The new online retailers are betting that only the big and well-financed among them will survive.

Business for Sale: East Coast Tent-Rental Company

An overview of a tent-rental company offered for sale. Includes the price, how the business was valued, the outlook of future sales, and the pros and cons of the purchase.