In September Henry got a call from a recruiter pitching the chief financial officer spot at Chicago-based Lante.

FORBES: The $77 Million CFO

Then he got a 2.6% equity stake in Lante at a time when prepublic CFOs were usually getting no more than 1% equity.

FORBES: The $77 Million CFO

Since Puryear joined Lante, he's lured a dozen top executives from such companies as EDS, IBM and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, including a hotshot CFO from Convergys, a Cincinnati Bell spinoff.

FORBES: The Age Of The $100 Million CEO

Since Puryear joined Lante, he's lured a dozen top executives from companies like EDS, IBM and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, including a hotshot chief financial officer from Cincinnati Bell spinoff Convergys (see box, p. 128).

FORBES: The Age Of The $100 Million CEO

"In this noisy market, you can't just have a good company, you've got to have some way to attract attention, " says Judith Hamilton, chief executive of Classroom Connect and a board member of Lante.

FORBES: The Age Of The $100 Million CEO

He was recruited last year to Lante Corp.

FORBES: The $77 Million CFO