Governor Honors Telegroup's Explosive Job Growth
Des Moines, Iowa, September 4, 1995 -- Governor Terry Branstad will present a certificate Friday honoring outstanding job growth to Telegroup, Inc., a Fairfield, Iowa, long distance company.
Telegroup Chairman Fred Gratzon and President Cliff Rees, who co-founded Telegroup in 1989, will meet with Branstad in the Governor's office Friday, Sept. 8 at 1:45 PM.
Telegroup started humbly in an extra bedroom of Gratzon's home, with Gratzon and Rees doing all tasks themselves--from marketing the service by phone to stuffing bills in envelopes.
In six years, Telegroup's work force has grown from the two founders to 270 computer programmers, network engineers, customer service, data management, clerical and sales personnel at the Fairfield headquarters. The company also employs 1,250 sales representatives worldwide. Telegroup's expansion plans include opening a branch office in Iowa City, with additional computer programmers and sales personnel.
Telegroup revenues have also skyrocketed -- from $5,000 in 1989 to $70 million in 1994. The company projects $130 million for 1995. Telegroup now has customers in 142 countries and sales and customer service offices in 30 countries.
Telegroup is now the world's largest callback provider, with discounted international rates thatMoney magazine calls "hard to beat." Money 's July issue analyzes the programs of ten top long distance companies for U.S. and international calls and calling cards, and concludes that Telegroup offers the best overall savings.
To compare long distance rates or find out more about Telegroup, people can contact Telegroup's new Internet site at http://www.telegroup.com or call 800-338-0225.
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