Not Business as Usual

Out with the same old. 

Businesses committed to surviving are expanding globally, tapping into the world of government contracts and seizing stimulus funds. It’s not business as usual, but a “new normal” way of generating clients that comes with a learning curve and a determination to succeed. 

“In this economy, you have to be creative. You always have to look for new opportunities,” says Mike Turner, president and CEO of Naples-based Air Technology Group. 

Regional companies that have taken one—or sometimes more than one—of these routes are replacing lost revenues and preparing for the economic rebound. 

“Surviving the economy doesn’t depend on the economy,” says Kim Lyons, owner of Fort Myers-based credit card equipment and supply company MerchantSource. “Surviving the economy depends on you.” 

These six companies are using the challenging times to sell their products and services in ways they hadn’t employed before. 

Going Global

Allyn International Services Inc. 
Fort Myers; 135 employees globally 

Services: Customs, logistics, tax management 

Doing business in: Czech Republic (regional office for Europe, Africa and the Middle East), China (regional office for Asia), Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Mexico, Russia and Spain. “We’re definitely in places that we haven’t been in before, and without that, we certainly would be smaller than we are today,” CEO Allen R. Trevett says. “We’ve been able to acquire new clients and do different things for different clients internationally that’s helped us create stability.”