What happens to entrepreneurs after their companies make the Inc. 500 list? For some CEOs, getting their company onto the list once is a feat that's hard to top. After all, maintaining such an extraordinary growth rate isn't easy. But for others, the Inc. 500 serves as a launching pad from which their company soars to serious national recognition. At those companies, the challenges don't let up -- particularly for the founders. In the years since their businesses appeared on the list, most of the Inc. 500 CEOs we've interviewed haven't slowed down. If anything, they work harder today than they did when they racked up remarkable revenue growth. The frenetic pace suits them. Below, we check in with more than a dozen Inc. 500 CEOs who have garnered headlines and prospered even more than might have seemed possible when their companies first graced the list.
Paychex
Founder and CEO: Tom Golisano
Headquarters: Rochester, N.Y.
Then: Paychex ranked #8 on the 1982 Inc. 500
Now: The company is known for stellar shareholder return, Golisano for running for governor of New York as an independent in 1994 and 1998
"In 1982, when we were on the Inc. 500, we were doing about $20 million in revenues and thinking about becoming public," says Golisano. "By 1983 we had a $65-million market capitalization upon our initial public offering, and we also had a seven-figure bottom line, which had been a goal we wanted to attain before going public. What happens is that you do things in plateaus. Eventually, our market cap crossed $1 billion, and it's now $13.5 billion -- and we have our sights set on $15 billion."
Timberland
President and CEO: Jeffrey Swartz
Headquarters: Stratham, N.H.
Then: Timberland ranked #495 on the 1983 Inc. 500
Now: The next generation of the founding Swartz family has moved into the executive suite
"We made the Inc. 500 when? In 1983? I was in business school then, and my dad was running the company," Jeffrey Swartz says. "I was talking to my dad this morning -- going over the forecasts -- and he told me that we're going to make more in net income this year than we had in gross sales when I joined the company, in 1986. I remember my dad saying, 'If only we could be a $10-million company, we'd be a force to be reckoned with.' This year we'll probably even have a billion on a worldwide-sales basis. I wish my grandfather were alive to see this."
Proxicom
Founder and CEO: Raul Fernandez
Headquarters: Reston, Va.
Then: Proxicom ranked #44 on the 1998 Inc. 500
Now: Both founder and company are darlings of the D.C. tech set. Fernandez's former boss -- Jack Kemp -- now sits on the company's board
"I started this company with $40,000 of my own money. We had to make money back then -- it was the only way to keep the doors open. That was a great time," says Fernandez. "There's a certain satisfaction that comes from doing everything from collecting bills, to unpacking your own servers, to setting up your own systems. But everything has a time, and we've evolved into a different company. In 1998, when we were on the Inc. 500, we were a private company valued through rounds of venture-capital raising at $100 million. Today we sit with a market cap of $3 billion."
Domino's Pizza
Founder: Thomas Monaghan
Headquarters: Ann Arbor, Mich.
Then: Domino's ranked #457 on the 1983 Inc. 500
Now: The company's philanthropic founder has cashed out for a reported $950 million
"There were obviously a lot of highlights and milestones with Domino's along the way," Monaghan says. "One of the best was buying the Detroit Tigers, which I did in 1983 -- the same year that Domino's made the Inc. 500 list. The Tigers won the World Series the next year. That was thrilling, too."
The Staubach Co.
Founder and CEO: Roger Staubach
Headquarters: Dallas
Then: The Staubach Co. made the Inc. 500 four years in a row, from 1985 to 1988
Now: The founder, who won two Super Bowls as quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, relishes success in his second career
"Having a business is satisfying in a different way from sports," says Staubach. "It's an ongoing process, whereas in sports you usually have one defining moment -- one game that you won. I can always say I've won the Super Bowl, for the rest of my life. But I'm also real pleased that people look at the Staubach Co. as a great real estate company, and I'm pleased we made the Inc. 500 four years in a row. We have more than 800 people working for the company now, in 36 offices. Our numbers are good -- we're having the best year we ever had, in fact."
Jamba Juice
Founder: Kirk Perron
Headquarters: San Francisco
Then: Jamba Juice made the Inc. 500 in 1998 and 1999
Now: The West Coast giant (which made the list again this year) is poised to attack East Coast markets
"I always hoped we would grow beyond one store, and we have. We got our first round of venture capital six years ago and first made the Inc. 500 two years ago. The only thing that quells my pride in Jamba is that one of our investors also invested $5 million in eBay. I don't think we'll end up giving them the same kind of return," Perron says.
