Consumer >> CEO Interviews >> November 2, 1998
MICHAEL P. KRASNY, 45, serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CDW,
a Fortune 1000 company and the country's leading direct solutions provider of
customized computing solutions for business and consumers. From a one man,
home-based business incorporated 14 years ago, CDW today boasts more than
1,400 coworkers and more than $1.4 billion in sales for the trailing twelve
months ended June 30, 1998. Mr. Krasny started custom configuring computers
in 1982 after placing a classified advertisement in the Chicago Tribune to
sell his own PC. What began at the kitchen table in his Skokie, Illinois
home, laid the foundation for CDW's unique, successful business model
listening to the needs of customers by integrating products to create the
best computer solutions to make their jobs easier. As CEO, Mr. Krasny
responsibilities include the overall management of operations, with a keen
focus on finance, human resources and the information technology functions.
He started the company on the foundation of two essential premises a
commitment and dedication to customers and co-workers. From the Circle of
Service that surrounds CDW's business practices to the company's philosophies
of success, CDW's culture has remained unchanged and firmly rooted through
the years. Reflecting on how CDW got its start, Mr. Krasny said, "It was not
a vision created from a business plan. It has been an evolution of passion ,
passion for technology." Mr. Krasny was named "CEO of the Year" by Financial
World in 1996 and was recognized by Inc. magazine for his pioneering
leadership in 1993 as "Entrepreneur of the Year." Included among Crain's
Chicago Business' 1998 list of "Who's Who Running Chicago Business," he is
active in many professional associations including the Direct Marketer's
Association, the Young President's Organization and the Economic Club.
Michael graduated in 1975 from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor of
Science degree in finance. Profile
everybody knows what the company is?
Mr. Krasny: I take it you're sending the question back to me. What we are is
a
