Commercial Power Sweeping, Suffolk, VA, doesn't do any advertising. None. Yet they've been growing at 30% a year for each of the past few years and Karl Stauty, president, spends most of his time visiting and bidding new jobs, generally more than 10 a week.

"It's word of mouth, absolutely word of mouth," Stauty says. "If a property manager wants something done right and he's willing to spend a little money to make sure it's done right, then he hires us."

Stauty says Commercial Power Sweeping does the job right because they hire and keep the right people.

Begun in 1986 as a one-sweeper operation with only two days of sweeping per week, Karl and Lori Stauty, secretary/treasurer who runs the night-sweeping shift, now have a 22-person company that operates 16 sweepers and employs a mechanic on call 'round the clock. The company is a founding member of the North American Power Sweeping Association and has been involved in the association since the mid-1980s.

Stauty says 90% of sales are from sweeping (60% parking lots, 40% streets). The remaining 10% of sales comes from the catch-all Building Maintenance division, begun 12 years ago to offer sign replacement, graffiti removal, and small asphalt repairs. They only offer those types of services to existing customers.