Getting it done.

After reading an article about three people starting a business, Darryl Kellough was inspired to launch one of his own. So he called Tim Laframboise, his friend from UNC Charlotte, where they studied civil engineering in the mid-1980s. They've had success, including managing more than 4 million square feet of building projects, since starting Charlotte-based Southside Constructors Inc. in 1999. But it hasn't been easy. The company has survived an economy rocked by the 9/11 terrorist attack, two wars and the Great Recession, which brought struggles not seen in about 80 years. "We've seen a lot of our competitors leave the marketplace, but we've grown and it's been ... a white-knuckle event," Kellough says. "We're very pleased at where we are."

Southside Constructors is on the 2016 North Carolina Mid-Market Fast 40 rankings, an annual feature of Business North Carolina magazine. It's compiled by Richmond, Va.-based accounting firm Cherry Bekaert LLP and celebrates businesses that made strong gains in workforce and revenue for two consecutive years.

Erik Horstmann, managing partner of Cherry Bekaert's Charlotte office, works with mid-market businesses. He says determination and focus play large roles in the successful ones. "They've taken their product or their process and they've maximized it to the best ability that they have." Bret Grieves...