For the last 30 years, Semco has operated as a kind of lab for experimenting on what it takes to build working lives characterized by exhilaration and fulfillment. From its founding as a manufacturer of centrifuges for the vegetable oils industry, Semco has grown into a collection of companies — from real estate to inventory services to industrial equipment and document management — held together less by what business they are in than how they go about doing their business…

The result? Market success — Semco is private but Semler reports average annual revenue growth at 40% and profitability. But probably just as telling is the human impact. Leaders from all over the world have flocked to Semco’s door for the past 20 years to learn from its unconventional approach (nearly 80 universities have published Semco case studies and Semler’s own book, Maverick, has sold over a million copies).

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