Tom E. WallaceCEO

VectorLearning, Inc.

Tom Wallace is CEO of VectorLearning, Inc., a leading provider of online education and work-force training solutions for vertical markets, including long-term health care, manufacturing, construction, public safety, and the power utility industry. VectorLearning has been the recipient of numerous industry awards for technology innovation and high-quality content. The company is headquartered in Tampa, Florida, with offices in Chicago and Dallas, and currently has 165 employees. Sales for 2013 are expected to exceed $30 million. VectorLearning is backed by the private equity firm LLR Partners, a Philadelphia-based firm with $2.5 billion under management.

Tom completed a Bachelor of Science in Finance with a minor in Economics from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1980. He started his first company at the age of 23 and has been a technology entrepreneur ever since. In his more than 20-year career growing and managing technology companies, he has successfully built and sold two start-ups. His first company he sold at the age of 30. It had revenues of more than $20 million.

Tom's second company, the Waldec Group, was a Tampa-based network integration and services firm. Waldec grew to include more than 300 employees and $75 million in annual sales before being sold to IKON Office Solutions, a Fortune 500 company. Tom spent two years on Microsoft's Partner Advisory Council, and he has served as a judge for Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year Award, as well as having been nominated twice himself. He was a cofounder and former president of the Tampa Bay Technology Forum and currently serves on its board of directors. He is also a member of the CEO Council of Tampa Bay and remains very active in the local technology community, believing the technology ecosystem is vital to the future.

Tom also enjoys working with young people and spent more than a decade on the board of directors for the Boys & Girls Club of Tampa Bay. Currently, he is involved with the local Big Brothers Big Sisters organization and has a little brother.

As a businessman, Tom says he recognizes the value of learning from his failures as well as his successes, and he has learned that business is all about putting together the right team, setting goals, staying focused, being fanatical about customer service, and then rigorously executing the planall of which he and his team strive for daily at VectorLearning. When asked, Tom says he truly believes life is all about the journey, not the destination, and that building a great company is a never-ending quest to get a little bit better every day.

On a personal note, Tom is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but has lived in the Tampa, Florida, area for 20 years. He is an outdoor enthusiast and workout fanatic and loves staying active, especially if it means spending time with his daughter.

Inducted Spring 2013

Updated 2013