Seven Small Jewels, 2011: Seven To Watch

With more than 50 nominations for our Seven Small Jewels Award, it stands to reason that several firms—not just the winners—caught the eye of our judges. These seven firms may not have made the final cut this year, but each firm impressed us enough to call them out as Seven to Watch in 2011 and beyond.

Aspen AdvisorsThis Pittsburgh-based healthcare IT firm has doubled its headcount and revenue since 2009. Experience is one of the key differentiators for this five-year-old firm—some 40 percent of staff has been at it for more than 20 years.

Griffin Strategic AdvisorsThis Lake Forest, Ill.-based strategy firm was co-founded by CEO Carrie Shea on 08/08/08. The firm, which touts “visionary strategy solutions grounded in operational realities,” has experienced a 164 percent compound annual growth rate since inception.