Leading light: Candle Lamp Co. uses logistics, service innovations to fuel growth in limited market. (Special Report: The Risk Takers Entrepreneurial Shippers).

In the markets served by Riverside, Calif.-based Candle Lamp Go., "there was room for a company to come in and introduce some new service ideas' said Jarrod Kuhn, director of logistics and customer service. Look no further than his job title for a clue to the innovative approach the company is taking.

The manufacturer is growing and extending its product range, and logistics allied with customer service is helping to fuel that growth. "We've actually been able to use service and quality -- and mainly service -- to compete in a market that was pretty limited," said Kuhn.

Candle Lamp's products include scented candles and other wax products, liquid paraffin lamp fuel cells, table lamps, and liquid and gelled buffet fuel lines, butane fuel products and real flame fireplace fuel. Among its customers are retail clubs, food service companies and niche suppliers. It operates factories in Riverside, Memphis and Tecate, Mexico.

One of the service innovations Kuhn referred to is a next-day shipping commitment. Orders that come in by 1 p.m. are Out the door the next day, he explained. From its distribution centers in Riverside and …