Small Giants: the American Mittelstand?

Recently I mentioned Bo Burlingham's Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big. I've finished reading it, and I can recommend it as a good book for those interested in business, passion, and purpose.

Small Giants gives 13 very good examples of companies that have held onto their visions of doing something special and making real contributions and who have managed to succeed in getting rewarded for it along the way. As Burlingham says near the end, Germany's Mittelstand has been described as the backbone of the Germany ecoromy. He's "not sure we can say that small giants are the backbone of the American economy, but they certainly are its heart and soul, and they are setting a new standard for excellence on Main Street."

To spark your interest, here is a list of his small giants:

• Anchor Brewing
  
• CitiStorage
  
• Clif Bar
  
• ECCO
  
• Hammerhead Productions
  
• O.C. Tanner Co.
  
• Reell Precision Manufacturing
  
• Rhythm & Hues Studios
  
• Righteous Babe Records
  
• The Goltz Group
  
• Union Square Hospitality Group
  
• W.L. Butler Construction
  
• Zingerman's Community of Businesses
  

Read the book to find out what makes them special and to get ideas that may help you lead your company.