Amy Fox, President and CEO

When Amy founded Accelerated Business Results in 2002, she envisioned flexible training sessions which concentrated primarily on e-learning. After all, who had time to sit through meetings? What she discovered was that even the busiest managers and sales personnel still craved face-to-face time. The result, five years later, is an even split, with generous offerings in the e-learning realm, along with heavy concentrations on both one-day and five-day training sessions, where managers learn to pass on what they've learned to their sales staffs. Instructor-led training, says Amy, is not going away anytime soon.

It's precisely that kind of immediate response to a basic human need that has made ABR so successful. Amy is quick to point out that relationships between her people and their clients are ongoing partnerships, with regular visits and queries like: What are your concerns? Where do you need some additional insight? What's problems or oppurtunities need addressing?

"I hire people who are willing to take the initiative in solving problems," Amy explains. "The common thread is that everyone on our team is committed to a high level of service and will do whatever's needed to meet the customer's expectations. I think that makes us unique."

What also makes ABR unique is what Amy brings to the table: She's a wife and a mother of three, she runs a female-owned business with all of the multitasking that implies, and her background includes sales and management, e-learning instruction and sales training. Her degree is from Lafayette College in Pennsylvania. So she understands the diverse needs of today's corporations—ranging from increased sales performances to better communication, leadership and coaching skills. "There's so much pressure now on people, not only to sell products and services, but also to maintain customer loyalty," she explains. "I've never see the level of competition so fierce; they're all fighting to get that edge."

Yet ABR has remained profitable for five years running, and last year saw its stellar client list, which includes Time Warner Cable, ComCast, Cox and Procter & Gamble, increase 100%. Where to go from here? "I'd like to continue to deliver truly innovative solutions," Amy says, "to help businesses rev up their sales forces, create new products—and then explore some incredibly dynamic ways to package them."