Compounding conditions.

• Position: Ettain Group I Inc.

Jon Olin keeps his eyes on the prizes. For his mid-market company--Charlotte-based Ettain Group I Inc.--they are revenue growth and market expansion, all the way to California. To achieve them, he aligns company goals with the responsibilities given to workers at his information-technology staffing service. It's just one reason the company, where he is a founding partner and vice president of national accounts, was named to the 2015 North Carolina Mid-Market Fast 40 list, an annual feature of Business North Carolina magazine. It joins 37 other mid-market companies, which are ranked on revenue and workforce growth from 2012 to 2014 by Richmond, Va.-based accounting firm Cherry Bekaert LLP.

Companies earned Fast 40 honors this year by working hard and working smart. While they all excel in different industries, they share similar approaches, including finding their own identity. "They were focused on doing something innovative, doing something different," says Erik Horstmann, Cherry Bekaert managing partner. "That made them unique, compared to their peers, which allowed for their revenue growth." They also embraced technology. Aubrey Meador, Mebane-based ARCA Inc.'s president, says his company uses it to create custom cash-automation equipment for banks. It makes meeting their needs easier, and it allows new products to be purchased in "building blocks,"...