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| Kenneth D. Tuchman | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1959 (age 65–66) California, US |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Founder, chairman and CEO of TTEC (formerly TeleTech) |
| Spouse | Debra Mautner |
| Children | 2 |
Kenneth Darryl Tuchman (born October 23, 1959) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the founder, CEO and chairman of the global outsourcing company TTEC, formerly known as TeleTech.
Biography
Tuchman worked various jobs as a teenager: in a surf shop and renting lots for car sales which developed into a business where he would answer inquiries and then set up appointments. In the 1980s, He worked for his father's home construction business in California, which is when he first started considering the idea of a business that would serve as a centralized base for potential customer inquiries. In 1982, he founded TeleTech (now TTEC) in an old nursery school near Los Angeles allowing businesses to outsource their customer service requirements. His first big customer was Herbalife. In 1984, after the conglomerate AT&T was broken up, TTEC was hired to monitor AT&T's transactions with customers who were switching carriers which led to business with two of the resulting phone companies, MCI, Inc. and United Telecom (subsequently Sprint Corporation), to sign up new customers.
In 1986, he moved the company to Sherman Oaks, California. In 1992, it had $6 million in revenue which grew to $50 million in 1995 and he relocated the company to Denver, Colorado. In 1995, Sam Zell purchased a 17% stake in the company and in 1996, TeleTech completed its IPO. In 1999, Tuchman left the company after a disagreement with the Board over strategy but returned in 2001. The company went through a severe restructuring with numerous layoffs and consolidation of call centers.
In 2013, TTEC had operations in 14 countries. Nine of these countries provide services for onshore clients (the U.S., Australia, Brazil, Germany, Ghana, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom); the other six countries provide services for offshore clients (Argentina, Canada, Costa Rica, India, Mexico and the Philippines). 24,000 of TeleTech's 48,000 employees are in the Philippines. On January 9, 2018, TeleTech officially changed its name to TTEC.
Philanthropy
The Tuchmans via their foundation, the Tuchman Family Foundation, are donors to National Jewish Health, where his wife Debra is on the board of directors.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the foundation donated more than 50,000 meals to frontline healthcare workers across Colorado.
External links
References
- Forbes: The World's Billionaires - Kenneth Tuchman February 2022
- Hernandez, Esteban. "Forbes: The richest people in Colorado". Axios Denver. Axios. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- ^ Forbes: "American Telecom Tycoon bets on the Philippines" by Tatiana Serafin October 9, 2009
- Halstead, Richard (14 September 1997). "Profile: Ken Tuchman". The Independent. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- Denver Business Journal: "TeleTech IPO: A tale of the new economy" by Henry Dubroff July 7, 1996
- SEC Form S-1: TeleTech IPO October 10, 1996
- SEC Form 8-K: Change of Company’s Name to TTEC January 9, 2018
- Denver Post: "Davidson: Grand Court Ball raises $2 million for National Jewish Health" by Joanne Davidson March 14, 2013
- National Jewish Health: "Debra Tuchman - Board Member Since 2003 - Director and Secretary, Tuchman Family Foundation retrieved October 22, 2014
- "3rd Annual Denver Health Paramedics Awards Celebration" (PDF). Denver Health Foundation. p. 8. Retrieved 2 August 2023.