Tucker Technology

Rank: No. 18
City: Oakland, Calif.
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Chief executive: Frank Tucker
Workers: 75
2008 revenue: $10.5 million
2008 growth rate: -22%
Estimated 2009 growth rate: 50%

Frank Tucker moved to Oakland in 1978 to work for AT&T (T). Fifteen years later, he started his telecommunications installation business, and AT&T became one of his biggest clients. In addition to installing cabling and other equipment for computers and phone lines, Tucker Technology also offers staffing services for telecom clients. The company has offices in 35 states. Tucker has also expanded into public-sector work for clients like the Port of Oakland and the Oakland Unified School District. A onetime chair of the city’s Workforce Investment Board, Tucker, 55, prides himself on creating good union jobs for disadvantaged workers, including people who have had criminal records. Says Tucker: “We’ve created careers.”