Our past NLT picks: Where are they now?

Looking back at Moller International, Organic Bouquet, and Xethanol. Plus: 15 other companies we've previously profiled as the Next Little Thing.

AbTech Industries
AbTech Industries
In 2003 the Environmental Protection Agency began requiring cities with more than 10,000 residents to develop programs to reduce the amount of pollutants in storm water run-off. Next year many of those cities will receive the okay to begin implementing their plans. As a result, AbTech expects increased demand for its water-purifying Smart Sponge, which helps cleanse storm water that spills into municipal sewage systems, and has quadrupled its manufacturing capabilities and almost doubled its management staff. It also acquired six new patents, including one for the antimicrobial sponge, which was pending at the time of FSB's December 2006 article.

Currently, there are more than 13,000 Smart Sponges installed in 36 states, and over the summer cities in California began increasing the quantity of orders (up to 20,000 lbs) so that they could install AbTech's sponges in large underground chambers where multiple street drains dump their water. The electrical magnetic charges emitted from the sponges kill between 70% and 99.9% of bacteria in water depending on the volume, speed, and proximity of the flow.

The company's cash flow has remained positive thanks to a $7 million round of financing received late in 2006. "Things have been going really well," says CEO Glenn Rink. "We're really excited about the next year."

Xethanol

Organic Bouquet

Ocean Power Technologies

On Demand Books

Moller International

Migo Software

HyperActive Technologies

Biophan Technologies

Spine Wave

Freedom-2

Parker Boston Group

AbTech

John Fluevog Shoes

Regeneration Technologies (RTI)

LipoSonix

O'Live Spas

True Jeans

Zaiger Genetics
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Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.