No time for the recovery room: executives find opportunities for success despite the tepid economy.

• Author: Cote, Mike
• Position: 2011 [economic outlook]

Economic reality at breakfast, line wine at lunch.

Before participants of this year's Top Company trip to Napa Valley wined and dined at area vineyards, they talked about the economy at an early morning breakfast meeting.

A forecast presented by Bill Greiner, president of UMB's Scout Investment Advisors, was followed by a roundtable discussion in which executives from participating companies discussed the outlook for their businesses.

This year's class included a craft brewer, a law firm, a Web-conferencing company, two construction contractors, a travel agency, a funeral service company and a nonprofit that helps at-risk students.

These highlights from the conversation, edited for clarity and space, offer a glimpse of companies that are finding innovative ways to succeed, outpacing an economy that has yet to pick up much speed.

Wynne and Doug Odell, Odell Brewing Co.

Odell Brewing Co. won the Top Company award in the consumer category this year and also earned a No. 1. spot in the Colorado Sustainable Design Awards for the expansion of its Fort Collins brewery plant and headquarters.

Odell has benefited from loyal craft beer consumers, those who favor local brands.

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Beer drinkers "are not buying the standard premium Budweiser anymore," said Wynne Odell, the company's CEO. "They're buying whatever is Bud's cheapest 36-can product or they're moving up to the above-super premium better beer category. It works beautifully for our industry."

Odell is even finding success with a wine-sized premium bottle of specialty beer for $25.

"Twenty-five dollars is a bottle of wine to a lot of folks," she said. "Purchasing something that feels extra special to you as opposed to a $4.99 six-pack seems to be resonating with our customers."

Odell's Woodcut brand contains 10 percent to 12 percent alcohol, takes longer to produce and contains more ingredients than its flagship varieties. And barrel aging makes it more expensive to produce, founder Doug Odell said.

"Even with the added costs of producing these beers I think our customers still see value in the bottle," he said. "One of the trends helping craft brewers get there is people wanting to know where their consumable products are coming from."

Peggy Richter, Kutak Rock

Attorney Peggy Richter, whose focus at Kutak Rock includes real estate, finance, corporate and natural resource issues, compares current economic conditions to the '80s, when opportunities emerged.

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"We see increased activity in corporate acquisitions. M&A work is starting to pick up again," said Richter, whose firm won top honors this year in the legal category. "The real estate side has plateaued, but we're seeing other opportunities with government grant programs and transit-oriented development plans."

Kutak Rock's health-care and nonprofit practices also have grown, she said.

Don Owens, Mass Service & Supply

Mass Service & Supply has long had a niche with federal contracts, so it has a big head start on companies trying to make inroads into that market. The Pueblo-based business, winner in the real estate/construction category, specializes in construction services and project management.

Senior Project Manager Don Owens said the government's injection of stimulus money into the...