Company: 29 Prime, Inc., Irvine, CA
Company Description: Prime, Inc., the nation’s leading company dedicated to providing online marketing services and search engine optimization to small and midsize businesses throughout the United States and Canada. Founded in 2010, the organization currently services more than 10,000 subscribers, equipping them with the right set of tools to run their business easily and efficiently, while increasing its
Nomination Category: Management Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Executive of the Year - Internet/New Media

Nomination Title: Russell Wallace, CEO

Tell the story about what this nominee achieved since January 1 2012 (up to 525 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:
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Russell Wallace, 31, is a Co-founder and the Chief Executive Officer of 29 Prime, Inc., the nation’s leading company dedicated to providing online marketing services and search engine optimization to small and midsize businesses throughout the United States and Canada. Founded in 2010, the Organization  has serviced over 40,000 subscribers, equipping them with the right set of tools to run their business easily and efficiently, while increasing its visibility online. These tools include a website, unique domain name, online back office, tracking, analytics and more. 29 Prime also helps clients with social media exposure, blogging and placement of their website on the front pages of Google, Yahoo!, and Bing.

 “Our goal is to help business owners that aren’t Web savvy to get online, build their reputation and   growtheir business,” says Chief Executive Officer, Russell Wallace (31). Staying ontop of industry trends through reading, attending conferences and joining trade associations, Wallace ensures that the direction and vision for the company is on course. “Taking the vision, communicating it and then breaking it down into attainable milestones has been crucial to our success,” says Wallace. “The next
step is making sure our employees have the resources they need to reach these milestones.”

In 2012, Wallace brought on 200 additional employees including programmers, development, sales and support staff to better service the Company’s current and growing number of customers. The Company also extended its educational offering to employees to include a full-scale training program, which encompasses 32 classes with concentrations in sales, customer support and leadership skill building. Employees also receive access to an internal newsletter, daily blog, digital seminars and books on CD.

Wallace has also implemented several reward programs as incentives for employees to achieve optimal sales and customer support. Wallace says that his biggest challenge in 2012 was making sure the company’s customers and employees were supported, while improving the company’s software. “When a company grows as quickly as 29 Prime, in a very competitive industry, there is a lot of pressure and criticism. It is important to stay focused, positive, find ways to improve, and become better."
Wallace’s biggest accomplishment in 2012: “Empowering people to learn, and grow.”

Under Wallace’s leadership, 29 Prime, Inc. received several notable recognitions in 2012, including placing 36 on Inc. Magazine's Inc. 5000 list, which ranks the fastest-growing companies in the country based on revenue growth. According to the list, the organization ranked sixth among the top 100 advertising and marketing companies in the United States, seventh among all companies in California, including fourth in Los Angeles and second in Orange County. Year over year revenue growth for 29Prime: 115.62% (6.4M in 2011, 13.8M in 2012). Year over year employee growth 300% (up 200 employees in 2012 from 2011).The Company’s proprietary software has been developed and tested by programmers based the United States. It is currently a private company with 300-plus employees located in Irvine, California.

Provide a brief (up to 125 words) biography about the nominee:

Russell Wallace, 31, Co-Founder and CEO of 29 Prime, Inc., has more than 10 years’ experience directing as many as 300 employees in companies with revenues in excess of $30 million. Wallace has led these companies from concept, start-up, survival, turnaround and growth modes. 

At the age of 20, Wallace started his first company, Reliable Finance. He grew it to become a multi-million dollar company. At the height of the company’s success, he was diagnosed with Leukemia. Having barely survived, Wallace lost more than a year to its treatment and its aftermath; the company spiraled due to his inability to focus and lead—he lost everything. Wallace’s passion for entrepreneurship and innovation lead him to start search engine marketing. In  2010 he co-founded 29 Prime.