Sarasota-Manatee Runner-Up 4

Sarasota-Manatee Runner-Up 4

Paul Mattison

Owner, Mattison's

Paul Mattison had the same thoughts during sleepless nights that thousands of entrepreneurs have had before him: Will he be able to make payroll the next day?

Mattison's nightmare came in the summer of 2003. The well-known Sarasota restaurateur and former head of a St. Petersburg catering business was having a crisis at Mattison's City Grille, the trendy downtown eatery he had owned for about a year. The high-customer traffic season had been somewhat of a bust, as noisy construction at a nearby bus depot left debris and dust drifting toward the outdoor cafe. The summer, as expected, had been slow. The result: too little revenue.

"I had a lot of mouths to feed and a lot of salaries to pay," Mattison recalls. "It was a little scary."

Mattison went the summer without a paycheck. He took out a second mortgage on his home.

But he survived the slump. Now Mattison's business is thriving. It consists of three restaurants, a catering business and a kitchen design center. He's considering expansion to Manatee County.

Mattison grew up in Utica, N.Y., a blue-collar industrial city in the central part of the state. An Italian, he learned to cook while watching and helping his grandmother. The pair used a brick oven in the basement to cook pizzas, pastas, bread and even lamb chops.

As a teenager, Mattison worked at a Greek restaurant, where he developed with the owner a bond that he still holds today.

Despite his success, Mattison considers himself a reluctant entrepreneur. He says all of his business deals that are now the base of his $7.4 million-revenue operation initially fell into his lap.

On the way, he has picked up a few tips that bode well for all entrepreneurs, not just restaurant owners. Most important, Mattison says, is to make sure you have more than enough money to cover unforeseen expenses and you know every facet of the business before getting started.

- Mark Gordon

Revenues 2003: $3.2 million 2004: $4.8 million 2005: $7.4 million

(47.5% increase) (55.3% increase)

Average annual growth: 51.4%

EMPLOYEES 2004: 188 2005: 194 2006: 172