. >> reporter: rob gillette is ceo of first solar, one of the ten fastest growing companies in the united states according to fortune magazine. >> over the last five years first solar started and went public and had a handful of millions of revenue. this year we'll be $2.6 billion in revenue. >> reporter: first solar makes, installs and manages solar energy systems worldwide. at its u.s. manufacturing plant in perrys burg, ohio, it employs 1200 people and expects to hire more. >> i've talked to a few that used to work on the line for jeep or ford. now they work for us. >> reporter: the stock market closed the week up on encouraging news about the economy. right now, the new normal is shorthand for hard times. but times change. >> before we get too fatalistic, our market economy has historically proven to be pretty resilient. >> reporter: economist vincent ryan hart. >> ten years from now, we will be more resilient and better able to take advantage of good things that can happen. >> osgood: next.... >> right at the counter here. >> osgood: the great debate. logistics makes the world work b