Faster Company: Building the World's Nuttiest, Turn-on-a-Dime, Home-Grown, Billion-Dollar Business

PATRICK KELLY is founder, Chairman, and CEO of PSS/World Medical, Inc., one of the fastest-growing companies in the history of the medical-supply industry. In 1997, Kelly received the Horatio Alger Award, an annual award given to dedicated community leaders who are committed to excellence-as exemplified by remarkable achievements accomplished through honesty, hard work, self-reliance, and perseverance. JOHN CASE is president of The Open-Book Press and an editor-at-large for Inc. magazine. A veteran reporter and analyst of the business world, he worked as a senior writer for Inc. from 1983 to 1996 during which time he wrote numerous cover stories and columns for the magazine. He is also the author of five other business books, including The Open-Book Experience.