Industry & Services >> CEO Interviews >> March 21, 2001
THOMAS R. GRAUNKE is CEO and Founder of KnowledgeNet. A visionary in the
world of information technology (IT) training, Mr. Graunke oversees the
strategic and operational management of KnowledgeNet, which he founded
in October 1998 as a company dedicated to e-learning for IT
professionals. Prior to founding KnowledgeNet, he founded and managed
the growth of Mastering Computers, a highly profitable IT training
company purchased by Platinum Technology in 1998 for $225 million.
There, Mr. Graunke pioneered the telesales model in the IT training
market and attained an 80% per annum revenue growth rate from 1993-1997,
delivering training to more than 250,000 IT professionals. At
KnowledgeNet, he and his team are pioneering a dramatic new form of
training that raises the bar on e-learning by combining the intensity
and effectiveness of the familiar classroom environment with the cost-
effectiveness and convenience of technology-delivered training. Mr.
Graunke was named by Ernst & Young as an Entrepreneur of the Year (EOY)
in e-business for 2001, and received his Bachelor of Science degree in
Marketing from Arizona State University. Profile
then the profile of the company as it is now?
Mr. Graunke: KnowledgeNet is an e-learning company focused on
