Fast 50 Highlights

As we all grapple with the horrors of September 11, the Fast Company community is recalibrating its feelings about work and life, business and purpose. But we believe that as we face the aftermath of evil terrorism, this is the right time to demonstrate the power of good work.

Our goal with the Fast 50 -- our first-ever readers' challenge -- is to remind the world of all the good that gets created when passionate people with big ideas and strong convictions are determined to make a difference.

Here, we have highlighted a sampling of unsung heroes and rising stars -- readers who have already responded to our call for stories of commitment, conviction, and creativity. Read these stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things, and be sure to submit your own entry before November 30!

Change Agents

Secure Lifetime Care for Children With Special Needs
Nadine Vogel
Vice president of marketing and finance
MetLife

I developed a business plan to create a division of MetLife that would be dedicated to helping families with the financial, legal, and social issues facing parents of special-needs children. I knew that it was appropriate because MetLife's vision is to provide financial freedom for everyone, and that is what my program is all about.

With the creation of MetDESK in 1998, we became the first program in the industry to focus solely on helping families of children with special needs with estate and financial planning. We have grown from a handful of MetDESK specialists to more than 160 specialists serving thousands of families nationwide. [ More ]

Disrupters

Protection Against New E-Attacks
Shaun McConnon
CEO
Okena Inc.

McConnon created a new technology that enforces -- and learns from -- behavior to ensure that new online attacks and threats can't cause damage. The intelligent security solution (Okena StormWatch) can protect against known and unknown threats, so companies no longer have to scramble to implement security updates or patches when a new threat breaks. [ More ]

Leaders

A Startup Built on Trust
Lucinda Duncalfe Holt
CEO and president
Destiny

A number of years ago, when it was just a startup, Destiny almost exhausted its VC funding. My biggest challenge as CEO was to keep everyone on board. In the midst of telling my employees that we could only pay them for another week, I was asking them to continue to do their jobs to their highest ability. No one left at that time or immediately following it. I would like to think that we built a company that employees believe in and trust because it values open communication. [ More ]

Social Entrepreneurs

The Law of Networks Applied to Social Revolution
Tom Hayes
Founder
Joint venture: Silicon Valley and Charitech

I hope to summon a new generation of civic entrepreneurs who employ the organization and transaction principles of the new economy to promote social change. The goal is to build a revolutionary community network that links business leaders with change agents across the United States, most recently with the launch of a series of nationwide jam sessions, Charitech 2000, and Charitech 2.0. [ More ]

Trendsetters

The Cure for the Common Brand
John Davis
CEO
Brand New View Inc.

Culturally decaying inside, many companies broadcast vibrant, self-congratulatory marketing messages that temporarily stun unsuspecting customers into thinking that the company practices what it preaches. When the opposite occurs, customers run. We started Brand New View to fix this. [ More ]