2001, 2002 2001, 2002 Three sponsors-- KPMG LLP, Richmond Newspapers' Metro Business, and the Richmond Chamber of Commerce--launched "the Rising 25" recognition program during 1990 to showcase small businesses in the area that had made strong contributions to the local economy. The Virginia Chamber of Commerce has consistently ranked us one of Virginia's "Fantastic 50" companies listing the 50 fastest growing companies in the state.

	Founded in 1995, Capital Door Systems, Inc. (CDSI) has rapidly established a reputation as a first rate specialty subcontractor by meeting its commitments and standing behind its products. Today, CDSI is well known by general contractors, architects and major end users as a company that installs quality products within a competitive pricing framework. Equally important, CDSI is credited for serving what it sells while always maintaining a key focus on customer satisfaction. While the foundation for CDSI's solid reputation was forged in the specialty door, loading dock equipment and operable wall/accordion partition industry, it has made a successful entrance into the residential marketplace by staying with the philosophy of going out of its way to meet its commitments. CDSI's focus has been on the commercial/industrial markets, which comprise 98% of its business. Along with this specialization, CDSI's success is in no small way attributable to their effort to find and train solid employees. An example of this is the combined experience of over 95 years possessed by their field mechanics. It is no accident that CDSI is one of the leaders in their field and an organization that continues to thrive and move forward despite the often formidable challenges presented by the economy, the competition and the marketplace.
	Rated as one of the top five fastest growing, privately held firms in the Greater Richmond area, Capital Door Systems, Inc. has established itself as a first rate speciality subcontractor. In 2000 and 2001, Capital Door Systems, Inc. was acknowledged as one of Richmond's Rising 25 privately held companies, achieving a position in the top 5 in 2001. The "Rising 25" is an annual program that recognizes the fastest-growing 25 companies in the area, based on their annual revenue growth over a five-year period. An awards banquet honoring those select few is then held each year to celebrate their accomplishments. A college instructor once told Richard Lane never to hire friends or family. "I've managed to do both over the years and, for the most part, it's worked out very well," said Lane who, along with his wife and stepson, runs Capital Door Systems Inc. Many couples wouldn't relish the prospect of being with each other almost 24 hours a day, but Richard and Judee Lane, who have been married since 1990, say they work well together. "Most of the time it's very good" she said. "I almost feel like a truck-driving team," he quipped. Richard Lane serves as president of the company, which sells, services and installs residential, commerical and industrial doors and loading dock equipment. Judee Lane is vice president and her son, David Wilkerson, is vice president of operations. All three are part owners in the company, along with field supervisor David Price, who is not a member of the family. The company is based at 310 Stockton Street in South Richmond. Richard Lane started Capital Door in 1995 and it wasn't his first foray into the door business. In the 1970s he ran a similar business in California, also after a period of unemployment. "It was something to do," said Lane. "I went to college to get out of the door business and wound up back in it," he said. Lane studied business and marketing at Fresno City College and Fresno State in California and eventually earned a degree from Christopher Newport University. The job ceased being simply "something to do." Lane now said he doesn't see himself ever leaving the business. What began as pretty much a one-man operation has grown into a thriving small business with 12 full-time employees and contracts throughout central Virginia and surrounding areas. Richard Lane said that when he started the business, he had only a part-time worker to help with installations. "It made for like 90-hour weeks," he said. Then Judee Lane, a nurse for 25 years, left her job to help manage the business. She said she missed nursing at first but does not anymore. The two worked out of their home, soon recruiting Wilkerson and hiring others to accomodate a growing workload. One of their first big projects was a job at the White Oak Semiconductor, now called Infineon Technologies Richmond. "We figured that job on the kitchen table," Richard Lane said. The Lanes would soon embark on a job at the expanding Richmond Convention Center, their largest project to date. Richard Lane said Capital Door went from a kitchen table startup to securing six-figure contracts through "a lot of blessings and a lot of hard work." Lane said his business education has helped him, although he hasn't always adhered to what he was taught. "You're supposed to start out with a business plan," he said. The plan at Capital Door is fairly simple: The Lanes form an idea of how much revenue they would like to see and they go after it. "Many business plans are a lot of times dream sheets," Richard Lane said. His advise to entrepreneurs? "Plan on a lot of hard work and a lot of hours. Set your jaw and try to get as much cash together as you can." And he favors the adage being your own harshest critic, though he words it a bit differently.