OCTOBER 27-NOVEMBER 2, 2006           PHILADELPHIA 100           PHILADELPHIA BUSINESS JOURNAL          

"We were very diligent," she said.

Her resolve shows in the growth of her company. Revenue in 2003 stood at $270,718 and shot up to $310,800 in 2004 before doubling again last year. Between 2003 and 2005, revenue has grown 144 percent, placing her company at No. 52 on the Philadelphia 100 list of fastest-growing companies in the region.

Devine's growth can also be measured through customer satisfaction and word-of-mouth referrals.

Katie Storrer was led to Devine through a Realtor who assisted in her and her husband's purchase of a new house. Storrer was relocating from a 1,300-square-foot Rittenhouse Square apartment to a four-bedroom manse in Newtown Square.

"I called it the white house," Storrer said. "The house we purchased had been painted completely white inside. You really had to be creative when you walked into the space to visualize something different."

Devine was on the case, but not without doing her homework, said Storrer, who had never before used an interior designer. Devine met with the couple, got to know their tastes, how they wanted to use the space, what was important to them and what rooms to focus on right away. Devine stressed that she wanted the couple to be honest with her and not feel pressured.

"She knocked it out of the the park," Storrer said about Devine's work.

While Devine was committed to her business plan, about a year ago she decided that re-branding the firm with a new logo and even a slight name change was in order. This was important for Devine because everything about the company -- from the Web site, to brochures, business cards and stationery -- had to speak to Devine's target market and to convey the right message about the firm's work, she said. No detail was too small. Even the color of the logo mattered.