Outgrowing the recession. (Reinhold Landscaping) (company profile)

It is a chilly Tuesday morning, and corporate landscape whiz Melanie Reinhold, laden with slide equipment, is rushing out of her office, on her way to the airport and a sales presentation out of town. The sky is overcast, the trees are bare-branched and the grass is turning brown. There's a whiff of recession in the air.

For the next hour, she'll be in her blue Cadillac, linking up with the rest of the world by car phone, giving instructions on the run to Shari Nowicki -- her secrectary, alter ego and chief of staff -- back at the office. And then, a few hours later, the real work will begin.

"It usually takes several months of negotiations and more ...