OCTOBER 2013

$6.00

Small business Finance Guide

page 21

Why Your Wellness Program isnt working

page 14

Women-led
companies
page 45
4 5 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 3 www.businessnhmagazine.com

NHs Top

Women
By Erika Cohen
Rank Company Name

at the Top
10 Fastest Growing Women-Led Businesses
3-yr avg

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Smart Assistive Technologies, LLC/SmartATI LaBelle Winery SalesEdge LLC Key Partners Inc. Turnstone Corporation Posh Travel 3W design Inc. Spaulding Composites Inc. Sublime Solution Lewis Builders Development Inc.

178.7% 168.0% 52.3% 45.5% 32.5% 32.4% 29.4% 28.9% 28.8% 25.8%

n 2013, women are still fighting for equal pay, and less than 5 percent of the Fortune 1,000 companies this year are led by female CEOs. While the glass ceiling is still holding, there are cracks. Between 1997 and 2013, the revenue of women-owned firms in NH grew 145 percent, the sixth highest growth rate in the nation and better than all other New England states, according to the State of Women-Owned Businesses report by American Express OPEN. During that same time, the number of womenowned firms grew 45.6 percent. This issue marks our second annual list of the top women-led companies in NH compiled with the assistance of The Commonwealth Institute. We also added a list of the top women-led nonprofits compiled using Guidestar.org. The lists highlight the economic might of women-led organizations in our state. And it is significant. The 110 companies and organizations on the lists generate more than $6.5 billion dollars in revenue and employ more than 17,000 in NH. Between 2010 and 2012, 80 percent of the companies and 54 percent of nonprofits listed increased revenue. Of the 60 companies, 58 percent plan to expand in the coming year. On the nonprofit side, half of the organizations are in health care, while on the private side, the top industries represented on the list are professional services (14), manufacturing and technology (13) and retail/wholesale (nine). We are also profiling five intriguing leaders from this years lists, selected for either the fast growth of their organizations or the significant achievements of their companies. Congratulations to all these top performers. n

Adapting to Thrive: SmartATI

Lori Smart lives up to her name, using her expertise in procuring government contracts to build a successful company providing IT and construction services. That unique combination made SmartATI the fastest growing company on this years list of the Top Women-Led Companies, with revenue increasing 178.7 percent between 2010 and 2012, with most growth in construction. SmartATI focuses on the government sector, which accounts for 90 percent of business, providing assistive technology solutions, general IT services and training to government agencies including the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The firm specializes in providing adaptive IT solutions to help people with disabilities succeed in the workplace, and training people to use that technology. After earning certification as a prime government contractor in 2009, Smart ATI also branched into construction, where Smart parlayed her experience with government contracts to land numerous construction projects at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and building an accessible auditorium for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Her husband, David, manages the construction projects on the ground. I was in my early 20s when someone asked me if I can train a person who is blind [in using technology]. I said, sure, I can do anything. That has been my attitude ever since. If you understand the job and you know how to put together qualified teams, you can accomplish the biggest goals you set, says Lori Smart, president of SmartATI. Smart plans to add about five employees in the coming year, upping her employee count to 16. We grew over 400 percent last year alone. Our potential is 10 times that growth. To achieve that growth, we have to take one project at a time and complete them at a high level of success, she says. n

Erika Cohen

Lori Smart, president

Business NH Magazine, October 2013. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.