Rising costs put mid-sized companies in a bind

Healthcare and insurance costs, utility bills and payroll are on the rise, and about one-third of midsize companies are really feeling the squeeze, according to a national survey conducted by J.H. Cohn, an accounting and consulting firm. The Business Owners Checkup survey reflects input from 164 chief executives and other senior officers working at middle-market companies in the construction, distribution, financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, real estate, retailing, technology, professional services, and service industries. The survey was conducted by mail in May-June. About one-third of the participating companies have annual sales of $75 million or more, about half have 100 or more employees, and the margin of error for questions answered by the entire sample group is 7.65 percent. Increases in operating expenses, coupled with price hikes by suppliers, is eating away at profit margins for many business owners, J.H. Cohn announced today. About 89 percent of executives ...