Top 50 Report Opportunity Knocks

So the shop has had to work out a sales plan very carefully.

Bartholow says he routinely keeps in touch with his top clients.

"I'll call the top 20 clients on the list, and then move down," he says. "But it's not just a sales call. We're trying to see if they're doing anything new that we could do."

The "sales team" at University of Nebraska, says Bartholow, is made up of himself and the shop's customer service supervisor. Together, they cold-call various non-profits in the Lincoln area. To drum up new business, Bartholow asks current clients for referrals to other organizations that might be interested in the in-plant's services.