iolo technologies
Company: iolo technologies, Los Angeles, CA
Company Description: iolo technologies, a privately held firm founded in 1998 and located in Los Angeles, produces award-winning software that repairs, optimizes, and protects computers running Windows, including System Mechanic, the #1 best-selling PC tune-up product, Search and Recover and DriveScrubber. Consistently placed on Deloitte's Fast 50 list from 2004 to 2007, iolo saw growth of 80 percent in 2008.
Nomination Category: Management Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Executive of the Year - Computer Software
Nomination Title: Noah T. Rowles, CEO and founder
1. Tell the story about what this nominee achieved since January 1 2009 (up to 500 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:
iolo technologies year over year revenue growth: 30.85% (industry rate: -7.2%)
iolo technologies year over year employee growth: 44.5% (US unemployment rate:
9.5%, Los Angeles unemployment rate: 13.2%)
Noah Rowles founded iolo technologies, LLC (www.iolo.com) in June 1998 at the
age of 25 with only a few hundred dollars from his personal savings account.
Under his leadership, the company designs, develops and sells award-winning
software to repair, optimize, and protect computers running Windows. 12 years,
two major economic crises, and countless business challenges later, Rowles
steered his ground-breaking company to define, create, and take the helm of the
critical PC tune-up software category.
Under Rowles’ leadership, iolo was crowned the fastest-growing US company in any
industry by the American Business Awards in 2009, named one of the Hot 90 by
Lead411, recognized as one of the Top 50 Best Places to Work in LA, and
regularly included on the Deloitte Fast 50 list of fastest-growing companies in
Southern California since its founding; and the company has seen further
exponential growth in 2009.
Privately held, always self-funded, debt-free, and profitable since inception,
iolo now commands 85 and 98 percent of the respective US and Canadian markets.
In spite of the recent financial crisis, the continuing double-digit declines in
the software industry, and the sharpest PC sales declines in history, Rowles led
iolo to achieve 80 percent sales growth in the U.S. in 2008 and added over 30
percent in 2009, roughly doubling its profits last year alone. That means that
iolo’s Q4 2009 sales were 242.6% higher than its Q4 2007 sales.
Testament to his unique entrepreneurial accomplishments, during 2009 Rowles was
also named by the Tech Awards Circle as CEO of the Year, and was an American
Business Awards Executive of the Year finalist.
In addition to the exponential growth in revenue and employee numbers, iolo has
since January 2009:
1) Expanded its international presence from 16 to 33 countries worldwide, for a
106 percent expansion rate. iolo’s products are sold in more than 18,000
storefronts, including all major retailers such as Wal-Mart, Costco, Target,
Best Buy, Office Depot, Staples.
2) Established and/or maintained #1 best-selling position in seven of those
countries, including US, Canada, France, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands and
Luxembourg. In the US, iolo’s share of the PC tune-up market rose from 66 to 85
percent and in Canada, from 75 to 98 percent.
3) Introduced an Italian version of its products and quickly established #1
best-selling position in that country. iolo’s products are now available in five
languages, including English, French, German, Dutch and Italian.
4) Grew its worldwide customer base from 22 to 30 million, for a 36 percent
increase.
5) Introduced several significant new features to its flagship PC tune-up
product, the #1 best-selling (according to NPD Reports) and
multiple-award-winning System Mechanic, currently at version 9.5. The product,
with a multitude of proprietary technologies developed in-house by iolo and
recently crowned Product of the Year by Government Computer News as the “crème
de la crème” of PC tune-up software, now includes:
o Industry-first, exclusive Tune-up Definitions
o Advanced Windows 7-focused technology and features
o Industry-first gamer-focused features
o The most robust and advanced registry tools
o Enhanced Privacy Cleaner
6) Launched three new products and services, including:
o System Mechanic Business for small- and medium-sized businesses, already
followed by numerous successful large-scale implementations of the software in
government agencies and businesses
o System Mechanic Premium, introducing back-up options to iolo’s family of products
o iolo Premium Service, a remote computer troubleshooting service, which builds
on iolo’s award-winning tools to provide personal, hands-on help to consumers.
7) Experienced 44.5 percent growth in employee numbers last year alone and
further expanded operations worldwide, while being celebrated as one of the Best
Places to Work in LA.
8) Won 18 major awards worldwide, including:
o American Business Awards, Fastest-Growing Company of the Year
o Los Angeles Business Journal, Best Places to Work in LA
o Government Computer News, Product of the Year and Reviewer’s Choice
o PC Advisor (UK), Product of the Year
o PC Utilities (UK), Recommended by PC Utilities
o PC Plus (UK), Editor’s Choice
o MicroMart (UK), Editor’s Choice
o Chip Magazine (India), Test Center Recommended
o Chip Magazine (Germany), Gut
o Winmag Pro Magazine (Netherlands), Goed Getest
9) Actively advocated green and environmentally conscientious campaigns. 82
percent of US computers end up in landfills after only 30 months of use, mostly
to make way for new technology. As part of its green initiative, iolo donates
copies of its software to non-profit materials reuse organizations to both help
recipients use their aging computers for longer and encourage donors to donate
their PCs without worrying about the safety of any sensitive data.
10) Accomplished all of the above with zero outside capital or debt, relying, as
it always has,on its own organic growth and self-driven revenue to fund business
expansion.
11) Remained consistently profitable for the 12th year and 48th quarter in a row.
In 2010, Rowles is planning further international expansion, new product
releases and an even stronger focus on green campaigns. iolo remains poised for
continued growth and success because of its strong focus on customer
satisfaction, quality products, and always-relevant technology.
2. List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:
List of top coverage on iolo and its products, incl. many award-winning reviews:
http://www.iolo.com/company/news.aspx
List of top awards won by iolo in its 12-year history:
http://www.iolo.com/company/awards.aspx
Government Computer News names System Mechanic one of the Best Products of 2009
(the only software included on the list), 12/11/09:
http://gcn.com/Articles/2009/12/14/Lab-Best-Tech-Products-of-2009.aspx?sc_lang=en&Page=9
socalTECH announces iolo’s expansion in the Middle East, 11/11/09:
http://www.socaltech.com/iolo_expands_distribution_to_middle_east/s-0025179.html
Impulse Gamer (Australia) gives System Mechanic a 9 out of 10 review, 10/12/09:
http://www.impulsegamer.com/pcsystemmechanic.html
Globe and Mail (Canada) highly recommends System Mechanic for achieving an
impressive 35 percent improvement in his PC performance, 9/17/09:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/controller-freak/how-to-get-a-35-per-cent-faster-pc-for-50/article1291754/
PC World praises System Mechanic’s versatility and powerful tools, 7/24/09:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/169125/system_mechanic_9_digs_deep_to_improve_performance.html
Small Business Computing recommends System Mechanic for small businesses, 6/25/09:
http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/testdrive/article.php/3826991
socalTECH announces launch of System Mechanic Business, 6/4/09:
http://www.socaltech.com/iolo_turns_eyes_to_smb_market/s-0022050.html
CNet recommends System Mechanic’s breadth and depth, 5/26/09:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13880_3-10248897-68.html?tag=mncol;title
Inc. enlists iolo as an expert source for small businesses, 5/4/09:
http://technology.inc.com/hardware/articles/200905/desktop.html
ComputerWorld says "System Mechanic remains the best bang for the buck. Norton
Utilities pales by comparison, which is too bad, given its illustrious history",
3/24/09:
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=Software&articleId=9129439&taxonomyId=18&pageNumber=3
NY1 TV enlists iolo as the main expert source for this segment on spring
cleaning for PCs, 3/24/09:
http://www.ny1.com/content/ny1_living/technology/96171/spring-cleaning-also-applies-to-computers/Default.aspx
The Economist praises System Mechanic, 3/13/09:
http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13307789
Channel Insider names System Mechanic the "better utility" with "more complete"
information, 2/6/09:
http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Reviews/How-to-Fix-PC-Performance-Issues-with-Software-Utilities/
Business.com recommends to "go with the leader", iolo's "best selling" System
Mechanic that has "garnered great reviews", 2/5/09:
http://whatworksforbusiness.wordpress.com/2009/02/05/fixing-pooped-out-pcs-takes-priority-for-small-business/
3. Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the nominee:
Noah T. Rowles founded iolo technologies, LLC (www.iolo.com) in June 1998 at the
age of 25 with only a few hundred dollars from his personal savings account.
Weary of being the family and neighborhood tech-whiz-on-call, Rowles decided to
start a company dedicated to creating software that helps other people’s
computers run smoothly. 12 years later, Los Angeles-headquartered iolo
technologies has defined, created, and taken the helm of this critical software
category. Commanding 85 percent of the US and 98 percent of the Canadian market
shares alone, it is now the global leader in the PC tune-up software category.
Today, its products are sold in 18,000 stores throughout 33 countries and used
by more than 30 million users worldwide to keep over 70 million computers
running like new.