Tom Black

In 1990, Tom Black founded his own company, Private Business. He was the first employee and the CEO. His team and partners built this into a company with about 900 employees and a market cap of $290 million at its peak. Under his leadership, Private Business went public in May 1999. During this period, Black also co-founded Ncontracts, which emerged as a leading provider of vendor compliance and risk management for financial institutions.

In 1998, they sold half to an equity investor and went public. Black stayed on the board and bought two small companies, IMagic and Bancsource. Both together had about 30 employees, and he was the CEO of both. IMagic sold check imaging software, and they grew it to over 100 employees and 250 bank clients. They sold it in 2001 to OSI. OSI grew to over $800 million in sales, went public and is back to private since then. Black is no longer involved with OSI. At the same time, Black built Bancsource into a company that services more bank equipment (primarily ATMs) than any other independent servicer in the United States. They have about 400 employees and Black serves as chairman and the majority owner.

Since 2004, Black has focused on private investments, consulting, and community service. His consulting has taken three paths -- CEO coaching for companies under $50 million; sales training for all size companies from $60 billion to $2 million; and writing material on sales and sales management. He has authored books titled "Boxcar Millionaire" and "Doing Business at the Table." Additionally, Black founded the Tom Black Center for Excellence, offering customized training and coaching services. He has served as Chairman of the Nashville Wine Auction and the Library Foundation Book Campaign, significantly contributing to various causes. Black's commitment to enhancing professional and organizational growth continues to influence many in the business community.