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City Lights

The people, places, and plans behind some 2001 Inner City 100 companies.

By Leigh Buchanan |  @LeighEBuchanan   | 
 

The Inner City 100

People
Sometimes resourceful isn't good enough. When it comes to personnel matters, Inner City 100 companies have to be downright creative.
Winnebago Take All Team 2000 Staffing Services (#62)
Visible Signs of Relief Robinwood Inc. (#29)
In the Bank Sherman Assembly Systems (#95)
The English Impatient Crystal Window & Door Systems Ltd. (#86)

Places
The rents are low, the transportation is convenient, and the tax breaks are often generous. But some inner-city CEOs reap other benefits from their locations as well.
Fish Fry Clearwater Fisheries (#21)
Border Fulfillment Miratek Corp. (#22)
My Customer's Customer, Myself Integrated Packaging Corp. (#75)

Plans
Some ambitious entrepreneurs hope to make their inner-city communities -- maybe all inner-city communities -- better places to live and do business.
Take My Franchise, Please Candy Bouquet International Inc. (#37)
After-School Special GreatAmerica Leasing Corp. (#27)
All About Eaves Aztec Roofing & Sheetmetal Corp. (#58)

The Inner City 100

Comeback Markets
Most companies have taken a pass on the huge inner-city service market. Some smart CEOs are eagerly filling the void.
Curricular Extras
SuccessLab shores up the academic moorings of kids in poor school districts
Doctors Without Orders
Molina Healthcare gives physicians freedom to match the treatment with the culture.
These Old Houses
Rego Realty brings dilapidated buildings back to life -- and livelihood.
Mother's Giant Helper
Allegheny Child Care lifts a burden from welfare-to-work moms.

City Lights
There are a million stories in the inner cities. These are some of them.

Who Wants to be a Milliner?
The story of this year's #1 Inner City 100 company.

The Inner City 100 Almanac
Fast facts about the Inner City 100 CEOs and their businesses.

The List
The fastest-growing private inner-city companies.

Please e-mail your comments to editors@inc.com.

Read more:

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  • Redbox's Smart Move: What You Can Learn
  • What Makes a Company Resilient?

    • Leigh Buchanan

    Leigh Buchanan is an editor at large for Inc. Magazine. A former editor at Harvard Business Review and founding editor of WebMaster magazine, she writes regular columns on leadership and workplace culture, and she contributes Inc.'s capsule book reviews, "A Skimmer's Guide to the Latest Business Books."


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