For Bill Rosenthal, CEO of Logical Operations, acquiring a New Horizons' franchise in Rochester seemed like the perfect opportunity.
Logical Operations has provided instructor-led courseware and services to clients for nearly 30 years, while New Horizons is an independent IT training company with a center in Rochester.
"Rather than having a limited internal testing opportunity for our products, we now have real students … that come to our classes at New Horizon to learn how to use (Logical Solutions' courseware). We're not only simulating the environment our customers work in — it's a real environment," said Rosenthal, 52.
The New Horizons center in Rochester had been a long-time client of Logical Operations, fitting it nicely with other customers in commercial training or academia, when the acquisition took place in October. Details of the deal were not disclosed.
Rosenthal began work with Logical Operations in 1986 but stepped back from the business to pursue other interests in 2000. The Boston native returned to Rochester in 2012 and purchased the firm.
"My ultimate love is the corporate education space," said the Pittsford resident. "The reality is that most adults spend more time at work than we do anywhere else. So helping people to become better and more effective in their job and helping them to advance their careers is something that I've taken a real shining to."
Logical Operations has gained 50,000 regular users and generated $20 million in sales this year. The Victor firm has more than 100 employees worldwide, with offices in the US, Canada, UK, Singapore and Shanghai.
Rosenthal stays in touch with far-flung offices with the help of Skype, email and FaceTime. "On some days, I may spend more time working with someone in Shanghai than interacting with someone who sits five feet away from me," he said.
It always helps to have connections when expanding into a new market, he said. In fact, Rosenthal worked in China before opening the Shanghai location. Cisco Systems, a partner of Logical Operations, also operates out of the Chinese city.
When deciding where to expand to, Rosenthal is drawn to places that "think globally."
"Part of the reason that I was originally drawn to Rochester … is that it has always been a worldly city. In part because of Kodak … we have a better-adapted workforce for global support here than any other place I've worked," he said. "People who live and work (in Singapore) always think not only about how are we supporting our local customers, but how does this work around the world? Which is a bit of an anomaly, I would say. It's a real strength of the Rochester community."
Bill Rosenthal on running a business
A lot of people get big enough and think they don't have to sign checks anymore or worry about their money. At the end of the day, if you don't have money, you don't have a business.
In an intellectual property business where anyone can leave whenever they want, you have to work really hard to make sure that they come back every day. Take good care of your employees.
Too many business owners make the mistake of thinking that something is critical to their business, when it's just mostly important to their ego. That's what can get you in trouble.
Smart companies meet customer needs but brilliant companies anticipate them. I'm one of the few that doesn't believe "the customer is always right." The focus of brilliant companies is on anticipating, like what are people going to want?
Link to full article: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/money/business/2013/12/29/logical-operations-acquires-training-franchise/4201613/#%21
