Michael S. Dell, who founded the Dell Computer Corporation in 1984 with nothing more than $1,000 and an idea, serves as chairman and chief executive officer of the fastest-growing major computer systems business in the world.
The company is now worth billions because Dell decided to bypass the middleman, who adds little value to the products, and sell custom-built PCs directly to end users.
Thanks to this original direct-marketing approach and pioneering of the industry's first service and support programs, Dell Computer Corporation became recognized as one of the top vendors of personal computers worldwide.
In only 15 years, the company's sales have skyrocketed from $6 million to a whopping $23.6 billion. Since its first international addition opened in the United Kingdom in 1987, Dell has opened sales offices in over 34 countries, and boasts over 33 thousand employees in over 170 countries and territories all over the world.
Dell's latest worldwide innovation is his leadership on the Web. Dell is recognized as the largest online commercial seller of computer systems, with an average of over $30 million per day in online sales. The company is also redefining the role of the Web in delivering faster and more efficient service to customers.
The company's business clientele includes most of the companies in the Fortune 500 list of the top performing American companies. With the addition of Dell Computer Corporation to this list in 1992, Dell is now the youngest CEO of a company ever to earn a ranking on the Fortune 500?.
Since then, Dell has managed to climb to No. 56 and is currently the only company on the list whose revenues and earnings have grown more than 40% annually for the past three consecutive years.
The value of Dell's stock has risen almost 70,000% over the past decade and in 1999, The Wall Street Journal named Dell Computers number one in total returns to investors over the past three, five and ten years.
Because of the extraordinary achievement of the company, Dell has been honored many times for his creative leadership, earning the titles of "Entrepreneur of the Year" from Inc. magazine, "Man of the Year" by PC magazine, "Top CEO in American Business" from Worth magazine, and "CEO of the Year" by Financial World and Industry Week magazines.
In 1997, 1998 and 1999, he was on Business Week's list of "The Top 25 Managers of the Year." In addition, executive search firm Heidrick and Struggles named Dell their "High Impact CEO" for 1996 and '97.
Dell attended the University of Texas in Austin as a youth. In 1999, he wrote the best-selling book Direct From Dell: Strategies That Revolutionized an Industry, which reveals his story of the rise of Dell Computer Corporation and the strategies he has refined that apply to all corporations.
He is a member of the Board of Directors of the US Chamber of Commerce and the Computerworld/Smithsonian Awards. Dell serves on the nominating committee for the National Technology Medal of Honor and is a member of The Business Council.
He is also a member of the Computer Systems Policy Project, an association of CEOs of the top computer companies, that supports public policy positions on trade and technology affecting the computer industry, and inevitably the United States.
