SPIRITED COMPETITORS OF GCI CONVERTING (COVER STORY)

GCI remains confident its upfront investment for the development of value-added products will ultimately pay off. "We buy the best so we can produce the best," contends Dave Mickiewicz, also of GCI's sales department. "We consider ourselves to be a small company with big company capabilities. In today's competitive marketplace, people may lose sight of what is really important, such as response time and performance."