Big jobs in small business.

• Author: Kinney, David

The only thing small about the finalists and winner of our first North Carolina Small Business of the Year competition is the number of people on their payrolls. As one of the Gospels says, "The harvest is truly plenteous, but the laborers are few."

But one thing they share with the stereotypical small business is the key role each and every employee must play. Like a chain, a small business is no stronger than its weakest link. Take, for example, this entry from Wendy Chase, who is office manager - in fact, she's the office - at Moyers and Herbst Inc., a 14-person concrete-finishing company in Greensboro.

"I am the only one in the office, and during the summer months I do not even see the owners. I get a phone call every other day or so and can reach them by pager on the job sites. The owners bid jobs, do the work on site and call in the figures. There is little time for them to do any more, so the rest if up to me.

"Well, I got pregnant. It was a very difficult pregnancy and I was very ill. Being a small company, we did not have maternity leave with pay, just without pay. I was single and living alone so I needed the money. They put me on bed rest and the next thing you knew I was sitting in bed typing letters and doing payroll. Then I deliver early and end up in ICU for three weeks and out of work another month.

"When I returned to the office with my son in tow, there was four months of mail, things stacked up, files were every place. Oh, I forgot one important thing. While I was in the hospital the guys moved my whole office by themselves to our new location. What a mess I had!

"It took months to reorganize...