New Horizons sees revenues rise following buyout by local ownership
Memphis Business Journal - by Michael Sheffield
One year after being purchased by local ownership, New Horizons Computer Learning Center of Memphis has jump-started its revenues with a 30% boost. Revenues have increased from $2.9 million to $3.9 million.
The company, which opened in Memphis in 1993 under the ownership of New Horizons Worldwide, was bought by partners Jim Dixon, David Weinstein, Robert Hussey, Stan Graber and Jody Brown after the parent company offered a number of its franchises for sale. New Horizons at the time owned about 100 franchises around the country.
The new ownership now is completing $100,000 in renovations at its 35,000-square-foot facility on American Way that include upgrading the more than 200 computers used by students. New Horizons added student lounges with new furniture and plasma televisions to give students a more comfortable experience.
The result is a facility that hosts an average of 100 students a day for various courses.
Dixon, managing partner and general manager for New Horizons, expects revenue could increase even more this year due to the local ownership's involvement in day-to-day operations, an element that was lacking before.
"With outside investors, it was hard to watch the little things and communicate with the customers about what they want and need," Dixon says. "The business was there; we just had to get involved."
New Horizons offers training in Microsoft and Cisco systems. It recently added a health care training program that will include pharmacy technician training by the end of this year. Costs for classes typically start at $250 a day and can range from one-day classes for programs like Microsoft Excel to five-day certification classes.
Dixon says New Horizons offers facility rental and training for customers that include FedEx Corp., International Paper Co. and AutoZone Corp., as well as Memphis City Schools and the City of Memphis. The company has hosted training sessions for Frontier Airlines, which recently started commercial air service at Memphis International Airport.
Melissa Bolden-Webb, senior manager assistant for FedEx Express, says the company has sent nearly 100 people to New Horizons for various levels of training, from improving business skills to sessions covering Microsoft Office.
"Every time we've encountered a problem, they've stepped up and solved it for us," Bolden-Webb says. "We've worked with them for almost three years and look to continue the relationship through the future."
Dixon says the local ownership has made the company seem more like a family business, making sure its 25 employees clearly understand the goal of the company.
"We didn't want to have excuses for not being successful and that meant doing a better job implementing training programs in the consumer division," Dixon says. "Our goal is to increase even more next year, and the future is bright for us. We want to really take care of people and the message is getting back to people."
New Horizons Computer Learning Center
Technology instruction and education center
Managing partner and general manager: Jim Dixon
Address: 4775 American Way
Phone: (901) 375-1533
Web site: www.newhorizons.com
msheffield@bizjournals.com | 259-1722
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