Frank Griffith

Born in Fort Sill, Oklahoma

Education

B.A. Economics
Denison University

M.A. Economics
JD / MBA Studies
University of Cincinnati

Highlights

Medina County Entreprenuer of the Year, Award

Three Time Weatherhead 100 Fastest Growing Company

Medina County Small Business of the Year

GHI Internet Division Services ranked Top 25 Internet Design Firms in Northeast Ohio

GHI Telecom Services Division ranked Top 30 Distributors Nationwide

Co-developed first free, public internet online voters guide in 1997; by 2004, reached 6 million voters with non-partisan voting information from the White House to their respective state houses in four states

Sales and Marketing Executive's Distinguished Marketing and Sales Award

Three Time Cascade Capital Growth Award

Five Time Team NEO Success Award For Top Emerging Company

 

Frank Griffith Bio Summary (PDF)

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Frank Griffith, Chairman

Mr. Griffith is a serial entrepreneur who has built seven high technology multi-million dollar start-up companies taking one public on NASDAQ with a $1.8B market cap. As a 27 year information systems veteran, Mr. Griffith founded Griffith Holdings, Inc. in 1993 with a vision to build a holding company comprised of disparate business entities serving several industries yet focused on one objective: Helping companies connect smarter™ to their markets building their brands and growing their revenues through technology, software, and communications solutions (www.griffithholdings.com).

Griffith Holdings   ...   1993

Fifteen years later, Griffith Holdings is just that: a holding company comprised of eleven privately-held firms in eight industries serving more than 5,200 clients worldwide. With staff on four continents and 400 business partners distributing GHI’s 90+ products and services, GHI’s mission remains focused on helping companies connect smarter™ to their markets, people, products, and processes through a myriad of communications and technology solutions. GHI’s branded companies span industry sectors ranging from high technology, telecommunications, e-commerce and software, to interactive new media agencies, internet, marketing, real estate, entertainment, and micro-financing.

GHI’s companies consist of wholly-owned subsidiaries and managed third-party enterprises.

GHI Telecom   ...   1996

Founded in 1996, GHI Telecom Services (GHITS) is one of the nation’s largest telecom expense management firms in the country. GHITS has saved 4,000+ companies over $20 million dollars in long distance expenses since 1996. GHITS provides creative, best of breed data, voice, and IP telephony solutions building companies wide area networks helping them connect smarter™ with their markets via the telephone and the Internet. GHITS accomplishes these smart telecom connections by selectively accessing Tier One Facilities-Based Carriers diverse data and IP product lines and willingly negotiating customer-centric contracts at below market pricing. GHITS manages it's extensive client base through a national field organization consisting of 200+ independent network engineering firms (www.ghits.com).

GHI Internet   ...   1999

Frank extended GHI’s telecom offerings in 1999 by entering the Internet space founding GHI Internet Services (GHIIS). GHI Internet Services has successfully conceptualized, designed, and implemented over 1,900 internet projects ranging from custom web sites and e-commerce solutions to email marketing campaigns, content management systems, and supply chain extranet portal applications.  GHIIS also developed several Hosted ASP software products and inexpensively licenses them to hundreds of clients worldwide.  By 2003, Crain's Business Cleveland recognized GHI Internet Services as one of the Top 25 Interactive Media Firms in Northeast Ohio (www.ghiis.com).

GHI Marketing   ...   2002

GHI's expanding client base and Mr. Griffith's strategic consulting experience in sales, marketing, and information technology led to the natural formation of GHI Marketing Services (GHIMS) by 2002. GHIMS is a senior management advisory services firm where Frank sits on various corporate boards in the software, professional services and manufacturing industries.  Mr. Griffith provides these clients with strategic sales, marketing, and organizational advice helping them cost effectively bring new products to market leveraging the web, information technology, and strategic selling methodologies. The Whirlpool Corporation honored Frank with an International Total Quality Management Award for successfully managing the deployment of six logistics applications into 18 warehousing locations nationwide and bringing the project in under its $20MM budget. Frank has been honored with Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, and Distinguised Marketing and Sales Achievements, while GHI corporately received Small Business of the Year Honors (www.ghims.com).

GHI Real Estate   ...   2004

By 2004, GHI’s growth in staff, clients, and business partners necessitated space beyond its virtual operating environment. Consequently, GHI Real Estate was formed to facilitate growth. GHI Real Estate expanded GHI Internet Services’ web hosting and ASP software development facilities to data centers located in Akron, Cleveland, and Toledo, Ohio. GHI Real Estate then purchased a 20 acre corporate campus consisting of a rustic headquarters’ office, a video and photography production studio, and constructed a conference center for clients, business partners, and international incubators.

GHI Real Estate is a full service property management and development company which today include a residential subdivision as well as commercial holdings (www.ghirs.com).

GHI International    ...   2005

By 2005, Griffith Holdings had developed more than 100 products and services throughout its internet, marketing, software, and telecom business units.  GHI also built a third-party distribution channel consisting of more than 400 partners from around the globe who sold many of it's products and services.  Frank then decided to leverage maturing business units, diverse product portfolios, and flexible staffing resources with the pervasive power of the internet bringing the collective capabilities to an international audience.   Consequently, Frank founded GHI International Services, with offices headquartered in Nouakchott, Mauritania. Frank began developing technology incubators spanning the globe: First in Kampala, Uganda, then in Jos Plateau State, Nigeria, and Kharkiv, Ukraine, and finally in Monterrey, Mexico.  

GHI International Services delivers leadership training, capital, staffing, and mentoring resources to indigenous entrepreneurs in developing nations helping them build self-sustaining businesses.  By 2007, GHI purchased its largest technology incubator in Kampala, Uganda further strengthening it's incubator business model (www.ghiinternational.com).

GHI Entertainment   ...   2006

GHI Entertainment was formed as a result of converging trends within GHI:  (I)  GHI Real Estate’s consistent land development investments to the 20 acre corporate campus, (II) GHI's maturing internship program, and (III) The Griffith children’s passion for music, sports, and outdoor recreation. 

GHI Entertainment leveraged these trends resulting in a media and event management firm delivering recreational, athletic, camping, and conference facilities for kids and business professionals while its Music Division creates original music and conducts live concerts.

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Prior to 1993, Mr. Griffith held various Vice President of Sales and Chief Operating Officer positions in the software industry successfully selling two start ups in the private market. In the 1980’s, Frank spent time with IBM as a technical engineer, as a Graduate Fellow studying law, business and economics, and participated full time on the 1984 Presidential Campaign.  With his personal time, Frank sits on the board of a Cleveland non-profit organization dedicated to restoring traditional Judeo-Christian principles to public policy. In Washington, DC, Frank works with an international board whose micro-credit agency restores dignity to the working poor through revolving loans, small business training, and mentoring.

Mr. Griffith graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Denison University in three years. Today, Frank resides in Medina, Ohio with his wife Jane and four children.