Fresh off a major merger with competitor Linkage, business is booming for this IT firm and software provider. With three consecutive years on the list (it came in at No. 26 in 2010), AsiaInfo has had big success catering to China's telecommunications industry. The company says it can now count more than half of the country's telecom operators as customers. Its gross profits last year were $169.9 million, a big jump over its $113.3 million in 2009.
Fortune's annual roster of high performers reveals the promising saplings that are rising in a difficult economy and some stalwarts that deliver year after year.
