On August 11, 1999, Robert Ball joined Internet start up company, Akamai, as VP and General Counsel. As one of the first employees of the company he helped grow this company to $250M in revenues with over 1400 employees. The Internet boom allowed Robert to grow with the company as he provided leadership in business development, product marketing and international operations. He witnessed the the challenges of an IPO, the dot-com crash, 9-11, and the rebirth of the company. Now Robert is onto something new, something he feels is as big as if not bigger than, the Internet in 1999. Robert is back in Atlanta at the Advanced Technology Development Center launching OfficeArrow.com
OfficeArrow was launched with angel financing in November 2007. Their website was built and subsequently launched 6 months later in March of 2008. Now after eighteen months since it's birth, OfficeArrow.com boasts that it is the largest online community for office professionals with over 211,000 members. OfficeArrow.com dwarfs the membership websites of professional organizations serving office professionals with over five times the membership of its closest rival. "I hate to say we don't have competitors, but there really is nothing out there like OfficeArrow.com", says Robert. "Currently, OfficeArrow is a small business with only 15 employees. In the future, OfficeArrow intends to be as big a name in the small business community as Facebook and Twitter are today."
OfficeArrow.com is well on its way to becoming the "hub" or "dashboard" by which small businesses run the administrative side of their business. OfficeArrow provides the office manager, executive assistant, and small business owner access to a host of goods and services within the framework of an online community. Members will leverage buying power like a cooperative. They will build a rich information portal based on the "Wiki concept" of community contributors. Vendors will be able to provide lower cost goods and services through the reduced costs of online marketing though a huge channel. Social networking will level the playing field for everybody and small business will operate with greater administrative cost efficiencies. OfficeArrow.com will become the defacto online super-marketplace for everything from HR/benefits/payroll services, office supplies and furniture to online education services.
Transforming OfficeArrow into a mega-brand is keeping Robert busy. As CEO and COO he is driving revenue opportunities in three areas, sponsor advertising, premium memberships, and transaction fees. In the role of strategic planner and product manager, Robert is looking at partners who can bring new services to the membership with integrated technologies. New partner initiatives include accounting software solutions, event planning, payroll, group health insurance, and travel management.
According to Robert, success in e-business depends on open technologies. Consumers, especially the younger generation will not tolerate technologies that lock you into a vendor. They do not want products with proprietary hardware and closed systems like cell phones that only work on a single carrier's network.They want to be able to change on a whim. Successful technology products must be interchangeable. Consumers want to be able to connect to configurable menu of service providers on a common platform. OfficeArrow intends to be the open technology platform that allows members to choose and switch between multiple offerings.
As a child, Robert moved around a lot because his father was in the Airforce. He says he was in six elementary schools in six years and that experience taught him to be adaptable. "You have to be open to change, embrace change, it's not something to be afraid of." Robert graduated from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, worked as a CPA for Price Waterhouse, earned a law degree from the University of Georgia and practiced law for 14 years at two large law firms before being drafted to join Akamai as general counsel. Robert enjoys spending time with his wife and three children as much as possible when he can escape from the office. "If it involves a bicycle, golf course, or snow skis that makes it even better!"
If you are interested in learning more about OfficeArrow, visit them on the web: www.officearrow.com
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