Honored
Leader: Carl La Mell, President
Company Name: Clearbrook
Location: Arlington Heights, Ill.
Nature of Business: Human services
Founded: 1955
Revenue: $26 million
Growth Rate (2005): 4 percent
Number of Employees: 523
Average Tenure: 4.5 years
Since Carl La Mell came to Clearbrook in 1996, this 51-year-old non-profit human services organization has developed innovative approaches to creating opportunities for underserved disabled populations as well as for its 650 employees. La Mell is both a savvy businessman and a caring service provider, always looking for new projects and technologies to make Clearbrook a better place for its staff and clients. Business enterprises under La Mell's leadership include the Clearbrook Cafe, which will serve as an employee training program for adults with developmental disabilities, adolescents enrolled in alternative secondary education, women and their children who are beginning new lives after having been victims of domestic violence and teen moms and their children who are facing homelessness. Those that work with La Mell note that Clearbrook has a passionate staff because he has created a culture in which people are treated well. He is the driving force of an organization that is based on caring, openness and respect.