A central Iowa man who built an idea into a high-tech company that’s expected to save the federal government tens of millions of dollars this year is named by the U.S. Small Business Administration as Iowa’s Small Business Person of the Year. Frank Russell is C-E-O of GeoLearning Incorporated, a West Des Moines-based company that builds on-line learning systems for corporations and government agencies — allowing people to take training via computer from anywhere. Russell says one website can be accessed by more than one-million government employees around the world, including military personnel. He says in the first seven months, the website saved the federal government 27-million dollars and over its ten-year lifetime, should save more than a billion dollars. It’s the federal government’s largest web-based training site and is considered the largest e-learning portal in the world. Russell says GeoLearning is the third small business he’s launched along with his wife, Linda, who he calls his business partner, coach and counselor. It began in his basement with two employees, but last year was named by “Inc.” magazine as one of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in America. GeoLearning was founded in 1997 and over the past four years, Russell says it’s doubled in size each year. The company now has 170 employees across the U.S., though most are in Iowa, with tech and call centers in West Des Moines. He credits great clients and great employees with his success and Russell encourages others to build on their ideas. He says creating a successful small business does involve a willingness to take a risk. The 55-year-old Russell says “Even though that, for some people, may sound a little bit challenging, it also becomes a part of the excitement. If you believe in yourself, if you believe in your people, if you believe in your concept and idea, it’s not really as hard as most people will think.” He will travel to Washington, D.C., next month to compete for the National Small Business Person of the Year award at “S-B-A Expo ’05: Celebrating National Small Business Week.”
