Chris Freeman.

• Position: Marine Industries - Brief article

Chris Freeman enjoyed his work as a coastal geologist for the UNC Chapel Hill Institute of Marine Sciences, but he found himself worried about the future. Since earning a bachelor's in environmental science in 1995 from UNC Wilmington, Freeman, 37, had been involved in one grant-funded research project after another. "Every two or three years, you're left wondering, 'Will I have a job anymore?'"

Although there were a few large engineering firms doing similar work, Freeman saw a place for a smaller company. In big firms, hydrographic research--the study of the seafloor--often is one division of many, which he says can create a disconnect between scientists and corporate bosses. So in 2001, Freeman, wife Sloan and a fellow researcher formed Geodynamics, which specializes in high-resolution ocean-floor mapping and data collection. Not without a struggle. "When you tell a bank that you need an inertial navigation system--$110,000, a multibeam sonar-$350,000, a real-time kinematic global positioning system--$80,000, etcetera, you get some blank stares." But in the...