Crocs Inc.

• Author: Ryckman, Lisa
• Position: CONSUMER BUSINESS

A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO MEET CROCS CEO JOHN McCarvel want to know why he doesn't wear the product he sells.

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His answer? "I am wearing the product."

Wait--those are Crocs?

"You think about Crocs, you think about colorful clogs in 5,000 colors," McCarvel says. "But that's not really who we are today. In the last three years, we've introduced styles in a variety of different areas, from women's sandals to flip-flops to sneakers. We've got shoes for all seasons."

It's no wonder Crocs has been named a 2012 Top Company, just a few short years ago, the Niwot-based company teetered on the edge of a business abyss: sales tanked, jobs lost, bankruptcy looming.

"We became over-distributed, we became known for one thing," McCarvel says. "We sold the product from gas stations all the way to high-end department stores."

But Crocs has been reborn, rising from the ashes like some kind of footwear phoenix. More than 300 styles or Crocs are now sold in hundreds of stores around the world. Last year, the company reported sales of SI billion, and it has reported 30 percent growth in each of the last two years.

Crocs are now showing up on the feet of the famous, including Tom Brady, Halle...