Tim Crown
Encyclopedia
Timothy A. Crown is the co-founder and current Chairman of the Board of Tempe, Arizona
based Insight Enterprises
, an IT solutions company with revenue's in 2004 of $3 billion.
, Crown studied at the University of Kansas
and was a member of Delta Chi
Crown's brother Eric
studied at the W.P. Carey School of Business, and wrote a senior project business plan to direct sell computer components by telephone, without having the inventory in stock, and then to buy the order from the supplier and ship it as directly as possible to the buyer. Eric received a "C" for the project, because "A"s were reserved only for projects that were viable in the real business world.
. They advertised a hard drive for a price less than they could buy it for, gambling that the price would fall in the 20 days it would take to publish the magazine issue. The prices fell, and their gamble paid off making Hard Drives International famous for having the lowest prices on hard drives.
Originally, Insight attracted customers through advertising and the use of inbound toll-free telephone lines. In 1993 it expanded its marketing mix
to include catalogs and added outbound telephone account executives to focus on establishing a larger customer base. In 1995, Insight debuted on the World Wide Web.
In 1996, the company went public with revenues near the billion dollar a year range, and today has around $5 billion in revenues. Eric has resigned from the board as CEO, while Tim serves as Chairman, and has little involvement in day-to-day operations.
In 2006, Insight acquired Software Spectrum, a global software reseller specialising in enterprise software license sales and software asset management. This acquisition took Insight from 3 countries (US, Canada and the UK) to a 24 country global powerhouse in IT supply rivaling Dell and HP. Able to supply into 170 countries, Insight is currently in the process of expanding its product range in each country.
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...
based Insight Enterprises
Insight Enterprises
Insight Enterprises, Inc. headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, is an information technology outsourcing business. It was incorporated in 1991 in Delaware...
, an IT solutions company with revenue's in 2004 of $3 billion.
Biography
Born in Phoenix, ArizonaPhoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, Crown studied at the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
and was a member of Delta Chi
Delta Chi
Delta Chi or D-Chi is an international Greek letter college social fraternity formed on October 13, 1890,at Cornell University, initially as a professional fraternity for law students. On April 29, 1922, Delta Chi became a general membership social fraternity, eliminating the requirement for men...
Crown's brother Eric
Eric Crown
Eric J. Crown , is the co-founder and current Chairman Emeritus of Tempe, Arizona based Insight Enterprises.-Biography:Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Crown studied at the Arizona State University's W.P. Carey School of Business...
studied at the W.P. Carey School of Business, and wrote a senior project business plan to direct sell computer components by telephone, without having the inventory in stock, and then to buy the order from the supplier and ship it as directly as possible to the buyer. Eric received a "C" for the project, because "A"s were reserved only for projects that were viable in the real business world.
Hard Drives International
On Eric's graduation in 1986, the brothers took a $2000 advance on a credit card to place a single advert in computer parts magazine Computer ShopperComputer Shopper (US magazine)
Computer Shopper was a monthly consumer computer magazine published by SX2 Media Labs, it ceased publication in April 2009.The publisher continues to run ComputerShopper.com, a related website.- Web Site :...
. They advertised a hard drive for a price less than they could buy it for, gambling that the price would fall in the 20 days it would take to publish the magazine issue. The prices fell, and their gamble paid off making Hard Drives International famous for having the lowest prices on hard drives.
Insight Enterprises
The brothers repeated the strategy and upscaled the business, changing the name of the company to Insight Enterprises in 1988.Originally, Insight attracted customers through advertising and the use of inbound toll-free telephone lines. In 1993 it expanded its marketing mix
Marketing mix
The term "marketing mix" was coined in 1953 by Neil Borden in his American Marketing Association presidential address. However, this was actually a reformulation of an earlier idea by his associate, James Culliton, who in 1948 described the role of the marketing manager as a "mixer of ingredients",...
to include catalogs and added outbound telephone account executives to focus on establishing a larger customer base. In 1995, Insight debuted on the World Wide Web.
In 1996, the company went public with revenues near the billion dollar a year range, and today has around $5 billion in revenues. Eric has resigned from the board as CEO, while Tim serves as Chairman, and has little involvement in day-to-day operations.
In 2006, Insight acquired Software Spectrum, a global software reseller specialising in enterprise software license sales and software asset management. This acquisition took Insight from 3 countries (US, Canada and the UK) to a 24 country global powerhouse in IT supply rivaling Dell and HP. Able to supply into 170 countries, Insight is currently in the process of expanding its product range in each country.