Fast-track Firms --Thriving, Not Just Surviving

"Our relationships are key. We've built many that have lasted 10, 15, and 20 years of mutual growth," he says. "As time has passed and client acquisitions and consolidations have occurred, we have continued on this relationship path."

The growth was bolstered by a pair of high-profile installations: a new eight-color Heidelberg M-600 with Autoplate at the Texas facility, which was booked nearly solid inside of 10 months, and the building of Trend's new Jacksonville, FL, plant. The Florida facility came online in March of 2001, at a time, Sweetman notes, of dwindling print demand. Despite the climate, Trend generated nearly $20 million in business there from March through December.