Much can be concluded by examining the largest companies within an industry—they are usually the biggest employers; they often are the companies that dictate product improvements industrywide; and they usually lead the way in market development through their advertising and sales efforts. Coupled with these factors is a natural curiosity by the industry to know more about the next tier of security dealers beyond the SDM 100—those with gross revenues in the $1 million to $3 million range. These are typically key players in some of the country's secondary geographic markets, or tough competitors against the SDM 100 firms in major markets.
Our editors view these firms as "up-and-comers" because, as a group, they play a pivotal role in the underpinnings of the security industry's delivery of products and services. In fact, six companies that were ranked on SDM's Up & Comers Report in 2004 now have shifted up to the 2005 SDM 100 based on their revenue increases. (See "Flood of Demand," SDM May 2005)