When Brad Cleveland isn?t working on building his company, he can often be found on a bicycle ride. The CEO of Maple Plain-based The Protomold Co. Inc. is an aspiring triathlete, and he?ll often ride 40 to 80 miles at a time.

While his workouts take a while, his work life has been quite a ride the past few years as well. Since joining Protomold, the rapid-injection molding company has grown from $1 million in revenue to $18 million projected this year, and from about 30 employees in 2003 to 100 now.

Protomold makes rapid-injection molding parts for manufacturers and, by industry observer and customer accounts, the firm is changing the industry. By using its proprietary software, the company dramatically cuts the production time ? and thus the cost to the manufacturer ? for making those parts, which allows their customers to get their products to market faster.

Much like Cleveland does when he is out on a ride, the company abides by a simple credo: ?If anything slows us down, it?s not compatible with our business.?

Finalists share 30 best ways to build a business

One idea came from reading several management books.

Another was inspired by an owner?s experiences with the drawbacks of the traditional model of doing business.

A third came about as an epiphany while raising money while the markets were painfully slow.

As the finalists in the Best Practices in Finance & Operations category prove, a good idea can hit you almost anywhere. The important thing is to get that idea in the first place, and then work hard to implement it.

The No. 1 rule in customer relations is this: Listen to the customer. It may seem obvious, but it?s not always easy to do.

The five finalists in the category of Best Practices in Customer Relations have all taken very different approaches to listening to their customers, but all have achieved a high level of customer service.

Innovation is not the sole province of technology companies, as the finalists for Best Practices in Technology & Innovation prove.

Case in point: French Meadow Bakery, whose founder pioneered the frozen bread category in 1987 and continues to experiment with new products such as bread packed with fiber to promote men?s health.

?I can only create products that have never been done before,? says Lynn Gordon, president. Her statement could serve as a motto for the following group.

The five finalists for Best Practices in Community Impact have different definitions of ?community.? For some, their community is their neighborhood for others, it?s halfway around the world.

They share a commitment to making a difference, some purely for philanthropic reasons and some as an integral part of their business plan.

Business often comes down to numbers. What are the top and bottom lines and how do we grow revenue and maximize profit?

The finalists for Best Practices in People & Workplace focus on the people who drive the numbers, but do so with widely varying techniques: from candy to wellness programs, from offices with pets to offices designed like a dugout.

When it comes to communications and marketing, five finalists show that a little creative thinking can create a big business advantage. To wit:

Connecting with customers in a new way landed Bard Advertising a finalist position.

When a prospective client asked to learn more about the firm?s capabilities, but specifically begged not to see another PowerPoint presentation, the company knew it had to put its best creative foot forward.

The end result was an interactive game in which prospective clients are asked to guess how the company obtained measurable results. Bard won the business, and a new sales tool.

?In all cases of our presentation, people were amazed at the results,? says Barb Stabno, founder.

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