FUTURE: the technologies, the innovations, theservices, and the styles that will lead the nation into the nextcentury. The diverse group of companies featured here are thebest dynamic stocks, in America. They have proved that even intight times, good management can take solid ideas and produceexceptional results. Like the blue chip coins of the casino tables, blue chip stocksare the most prized on Wall Street. They tend to be widelyrecognized companies--such as Wal-Mart, McDonald's, and WaltDisney--that have domii~ated their industries and deliveredsolid, consistent sales, earnings, and stock price growth for manyyears. This book is an attempt to identify the next generation ofblue chips--the next Microsoft, the next Rubbermaid, and thenext Bristol-Myers. This is the third in a trilogy of stock buyer's guides that alsoincludes The 100 Best Stocks to Own in America (1989, 1991) andThe 100 Best Stocks to Own in the World (1990). While the othertwo books featured the best of the major, Fortune-5OO-size com-panies (with sales ranging from about $500 million to $50 bil-lion), those in this book tend to be the best of the smaller, newercompanies, with annual revenues ranging between about $50million and $500 million (with a few exceptions). I can guarantee no results. Some stocks featured here mightfail, some will merge or be acquired, and some will start to drift.There are also stocks here that might surpass even the mostoptimistic expectations. Get them while they're hot, and you willbe in for the ride of your life. Imagine, for instance, if you had invested just $3,000 in Wal-Mart stock fifteen years ago. Your holdings would now be worth about $1 million. A $3,000 invest-11