Consumer >> CEO Interviews >> May 27, 2002
KARL WILLIG is President and CEO of InfoGenesis. Mr. Willig's first
introduction to the technology business was in 1979, when he was hired
to assume management of Cooper National, a data processing company in
bankruptcy, caught off-guard by the explosion in desktop computing. From
an original staff of four individuals, he created InfoGenesis, now a
thriving software company with a customer roster that includes the most
prestigious names in the hospitality business. Mr. Willig's savvy and
calculated risk-taking are seen as keys to the company's success. Having
established InfoGenesis as a leading provider of point-of-sale (POS)
solutions for the hospitality industry, Mr. Willig anticipated the
technology shift to 'open systems' and began development of Revelation,
its award-winning POS software solution, well before the competition in
the industry. His timing was near perfect; sales soared. The company
expanded its reputation as the premier point of sale provider in the
industry, has earned precious market share, and continues to win
customers and industry accolades for its software and world-class
support. With three years of increasing sales and the popularity of its
software on the rise, Mr. Willig is again planning a major shift in
InfoGenesis' business strategy to adapt to changing technology. He is
comfortable in leading organizations through change and is financially
shrewd. Prior to dedicating himself to InfoGenesis, he co-founded and
served as managing partner of Santa Barbara Capital, a real estate
investment firm which undertook and completed projects in commercial,
industrial and residential real estate with a total value in excess of
$100 million. Mr. Willig served as CFO, COO, and CEO of Santa Barbara-
based Sambo's Restaurants, Inc. at the time, the largest operator of
company-owned full service restaurants in the US. While at Sambo's, he
implemented programs to reduce labor costs by 30% and reduced the
company's distribution costs by 25%. He served as Executive Vice
President and Chief Operating Officer of Rufenacht, Bromagen & Hertz,
Inc. at the time, the largest brokerage company specializing in
livestock commodity futures contracts. Mr. Willig also served as Group
Vice President for Arizona-Colorado Land & Cattle Co., where he was
responsible for operational management and planning for its meat packing
division, real estate development division, engineering division, and
commodity futures brokerage division, which had annual combined revenues
of more than $123 million. Mr. Willig holds an MBA from the Harvard
Graduate School of Business, where he was a Dean Donald Kirk David
Fellow. He is a registered Certified Public Accountant. He is a
Distinguished Graduate of the Army Officers' Candidate School and a
Distinguished Graduate of Armor Officers' School, Fort Knox, Kentucky. Profile
Mr. Willig: InfoGenesis is a privately held California corporation
engaged in the development and marketing of integrated
