Gary Cohen

As President and Co-founder of ACI Telecentrics, Inc., Gary Cohen grew the company from two people to 2,200 employees and reached $32 million in sales at the company’s peak. ACI grew at an average compounded rate of over fifty percent for almost thirteen years. Currently, he is Partner and Co-founder of CO2 Partners, LCC, operating as an executive coach and consultant. His international client list runs a wide range of organizations—from small entrepreneurial companies to multi-billion-dollar enterprises. His book Just Ask Leadership is being published by McGraw Hill and will be released September of 2009.

Gary received his B.S. from the University of Minnesota, where he triple-majored in International Business, Intercultural Communications, and International Political Science. Prior to attending Harvard Business School (Owner President Manager Program), he attended Covey Leadership Center and Disney Creative Leadership workshops. He has served on numerous boards, including Outward Bound National Advisory Board, All Kinds of Minds, Shalom Home Alliance, Alzheimer Board of Governors, American Teleservices Association, I.C. Systems (one of the nation’s largest collection agencies), and Richfield Bank. He has been a member of TEC (The Executive Committee) and written or been recognized in articles for Wall Street Journal Europe, Wall Street Journal Asia, Financial Daily News, USA Today, Washington Post, Business Week, Wall Street Reporter, Venture Magazine, Paul Pioneer Press, and Profits Journal. He has been a columnist for JobDig, writing exclusively on the topic of leadership. Among his many accomplishments, he was an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award Finalist (Inc. Magazine) and Henry Crown Fellow (Aspen Institute); in addition, ACI was recognized as one of Venture Magazine’s Top 10 Best Performing Businesses and Business Journal’s 25 Fastest Growing Small Public Companies.