Click here to download a PDF of 2003's Fast 50 print magazine feature.
Powerful ideas and personal commitment are what propel industries, companies, and individuals into the future. Every November, Fast Company shines a spotlight on the idea elite of business - the CEOs who make our annual Who's Fast issue. This month, for the second year in a row, the Fast 50 emphasizes in-the-trenches achievement. There are CEOs, but also engineers, marketers, and frontline teams whose passion means the difference between winning and losing.
This year's challenge attracted more than 1,400 entries and 20,000 online comments from people in 30 countries and 45 states. The winners demonstrate the power of persistence, the thrill of invention, the value of values, the rewards of solving problems, and the business of culture.
It's been a brutal few years for business. These champions of innovation show what it takes to build a brighter future.
The Power of PersistenceThese founders, CEOs, and presidents are building their companies for the long haul. | |
| TAKE THE HIGH ROAD Bill Rucker CEO and cofounder, American IronHorse Motorcycle Co. |
AVOID CULTURE SHOCK Gary Hirshberg President and CEO, Stonyfield Farm Inc. |
| MANAGE THROUGH TURBULENCE Colleen Barrett President and COO, Southwest Airlines Co. |
MAKE A FAST-GROWING IDEA GROW FASTER George Bell CEO, Upromise Inc. |
| GIVE CUSTOMERS MORE OPTIONS David Krell CEO, International Securities Exchange Inc. |
THROW AWAY CONVENTION Brian Scudamore Founder and CEO, 1-800-GOT-JUNK? |
| CHANGE THE RULES OF THE ROAD Michael Welch Managing director, Black Circles Ltd. |
BE SURE TO SPREAD THE WORK AROUND Robert Camastro President and COO, Virtual-Agent Services. |
| THE BEST COMPANY IS AN OPEN COMPANY Ron Gruner President, Shareholder.com |
ENGAGE WITH A NEW SET OF CUSTOMERS Mark Vadon Founder and CEO, Blue Nile Inc. |
The Thrill of InventionThe breakthroughs of these leaders and technologists set new standards of performance. | |
| PUSH THE RIGHT BUTTONS David Levy Founder, chairman, and CTO, Digit Wireless LLC. |
DEFY GRAVITY Gary Lemke President and CEO, ASV Inc. |
| UNCOVER YOUR HIDDEN ASSETS Doug Fieldhouse President and CEO, Vesta Corp. |
GET THE MESSAGE -- INSTANTLY Francis deSouza CEO, IMlogic Inc. |
| TURN ORANGE INTO GREEN Max and Elaine Appel Cofounders, Orange Glo International. |
PERFECT THE VISION THING Mark Spitzer CEO, The MicroOptical Corp. |
| MASTER THE NAME GAME Jack Hermansen CEO, Language Analysis Systems Inc. |
GET TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER Janet Burki President and CEO, GE Imatron. |
| HELP SMART PEOPLE LEARN Matthew Pittinsky and Michael Chasen Cofounders, Blackboard Inc. |
DEVELOP AN ANTI-KILLER APP Brian Lantz Vice president and adviser, MapInfo Corp. |
The Value of ValuesThese leaders made the right moves by doing the right thing. | |
| KEEP YOUR PROMISES Susan Clampitt Executive director and general manager, WAMU 88.5 FM. |
GIVE POWER TO THE PEOPLE Charles Costello Director, The Democracy Program, The Carter Center. |
| CUT FROM A DIFFERENT CLOTH Heidi McCloskey Global director of sustainability, Nike Apparel. |
CHARGE WHAT PEOPLE CAN BEAR David Green Executive director, Project Impact Inc. |
| MAKE THE NET WORK The Tomoye team Tomoye Corp. |
MAKE A DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE Kathleen Dore President, IFC Companies. |
| GIVE GIRLS A HEAD START Rachel Muir Founder and executive director, Girlstart. |
GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE John Hatch Founder and director of research, FINCA International Inc. |
| MAKE LEARNING MEMORABLE Bill Nelson CEO, Little Planet Learning. |
LIGHT THE WAY Anne Pasternak Executive director, Creative Time Inc. |
The Rewards of Solving ProblemsWhere most companies saw problems, these innovators saw opportunities -- and created solutions. | |
| BUILD A BETTER MOUSE Gary Gordon Agilent Labs fellow, Agilent Technologies. |
KEEP ON TICKING Alan Bauer Direct group president, Progressive Casualty Insurance Co. |
| PHONE HOME Bennett Liss Founder, PACE. |
THINK FAST -- ACT FASTER The Inova health-care team Inova Health System. |
| CREATE A RESOUNDING DIFFERENCE Robert Rabiner Cofounder, president, and CEO, OmniSonics Medical Technologies Inc. |
DON'T FIGHT CITY HALL, INFORM IT Michael Meotti President, Connecticut Policy and Economic Council. |
| CHANGE THE SOCIAL FABRIC Craig Rubin CEO, Hi-Tex Inc. |
BE A SECURITY BLANKET George Kurtz CEO, Foundstone Inc. |
| GIVE PEACE A CHANCE Stef Wertheimer Chairman, board of directors ISCAR Ltd. |
DON'T SWEAT THE COMPETITION Kevin Plank Founder and president, Under Armour Performance Apparel. |
The Business of CultureThe most exciting ideas and companies are about style and substance, fashion and functionality. | |
| UNLEASH YOUR COMMITMENT Stephanie Volo President, Planet Dog. |
BLEND STYLE WITH SUBSTANCE Brett Lovelady President, Astro Studios Inc. |
| LET THE ADVERGAMES BEGIN Peter Mack President and founder, Templar Studios LLC. |
SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS Dan Hammond Chairman, president, and CEO, Publishing Group of America. |
| LIVE AMONG THE NATIVES Robbie Blinkoff Principal anthropologist officer and managing partner, Context-Based Research Group. |
MAKE THE MOVIE THE STAR Bruce Bildsten Creative director, Fallon Worldwide. |
| BE A BAD GIRL Cameron Tuttle Bad Girl #1, Bad Girl Swirl Inc. |
BUILD A BRAND FOR THE BRAIN Richard Tait Grand pooh-bah, Cranium. |
| TAKE SPORTS TO THE EXTREME Bill Carter President, Fuse Integrated Sports Marketing. |
GET A GOOD RAP Devin Lazerine Editor in chief, Rap-Up. |