Four legs

The best business decision 71-year-old CEO William Harvard ever made was providing all of the employees of his architecture firm with opportunities to participate in ownership.

They have certainly bought into it: The firm has more than 30 owners out of its 90 full-time employees.

It's a rare set-up for an industry known for short tenures, says Harvard, CEO of St. Petersburg-based Harvard Jolly. “It provides a real career path, rather than encourage jumping to different firms,” he says.