Tim Mueller
Tim Mueller (born August 23, 1962) is an American businessman specializing in the growth of technology companies. With a broad range of experience in corporate, early stage, and government, he is best known for identifying next generation technologies, assembling teams to leverage these opportunities, and building cultures for success.[1] He founded and sold four technology-based businesses during the last 25 years.[2]
Contents
Early life and education
Mueller was born in Cleveland, Ohio. His father, Frank Mueller, was a quality control inspector at Westinghouse Electric. Mueller described his mother, Dorothy, as someone who was extremely curious, “having held more than 30 different jobs during her lifetime.” Mueller grew up in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood of Cleveland, serving as an altar boy and guitar mass musician at Corpus Christi grade school between 6th-9th grade. He was awarded the “Most Christian Award” upon grade school graduation.
Mueller first ventured into business in the 9th grade. Having saved money from his Cleveland Press paper route, he purchased a Minolta SRT 201 35mm camera and began shooting sporting events at the local high school. Student athletes purchased his photos with great enthusiasm. With those profits, he and his father built a darkroom in their basement where he began processing film and printing larger format photos to sell. The Cleveland Institute of Art awarded Mueller a Gold Key in 8th grade for his photography as part of its longstanding Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
At James Ford Rhodes high school, Mueller held multiple leadership positions as a member of Student Council, Junior Class Treasurer, President of the Ski Club and President of the Student Body. He was co-captain of the school’s track and field team, homecoming king, winner of the prestigious Kiwanis Citizenship Scholarship, and was inducted into the Rhodes High School Hall of Fame with fellow alums Drew Carey and Heisman Trophy winner Les Horvath.
Mueller enrolled at the University of Dayton, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1984. While there, he was president of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity and the bass player for the popular campus rock group, After Hours Band. Mueller also served as National Liaison for the UD chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America. After two internships on the corporate staff at the Standard Oil Company, Mueller graduated started his career in corporate communications.
Career
Between 1984-1990, Mueller worked on the corporate staff of TransOhio Savings Bank and Eaton Corporation.
Vantage One
In July of 1990, he co-founded Vantage One Communications, originally a marketing/communications firm.[3] By 1994, the firm transformed into one of the industry’s first Interactive Marketing firms, producing CD-ROM applications and touchscreen kiosk marketing collateral.[4] In 1995, Vantage One began experimenting with HTML by leveraging first generation Netscape web browsers. In a partnership with IMG sports, Mueller’s firm broadcasted the world’s first professional sporting event via the Internet in 1996. Using the audio of Indy Car Racing voice of Paul Page, Mueller and his team utilized early SLR digital cameras to post real-time photos and audio of the Grand Prix of Cleveland Indy car race. Witnessing online followers logging in from around the planet, Mueller and his team move forward as integral contributors to the development of the commercial World Wide Web. After launching international brands online such as GE Lighting, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Exxon-Mobile, KeyBank and Eaton Corp, Mueller and his partner hired martinwolf M&A advisors to sell Vantage One to GTCR in October 1999. Mueller was named Entrepreneur of the Year by USA TODAY/ NASDAQ/Ernst & Young in 1997, and received the Pillar Award for community service from SBN in 1999.[5]
City of Cleveland
In 2002, Mueller was named Chief of Development (Deputy Mayor) for the City of Cleveland under the city’s first female mayor, Jane Campbell.[6][7] Mueller focused on digital transformation as an economic development tool resulting in Intel naming Cleveland as one of the "World’s Digital Communities.” Mueller’s team directed the revitalization of East 4th Street, Euclid Avenue Corridor (5.5 mile hub linking downtown Cleveland with University Circle), the $120M Steelyard Commons shopping center built on a former LTV Steel Site, and led the efforts to attract the largest payroll to enter the City of Cleveland in 35 years with the Sysco Foods distribution center. Mueller also championed the $750M redevelopment of the East Bank of the Cuyahoga River by assembling a private-public collaboration between the City of Cleveland; US Federal Government, Cuyahoga County Port Authority, Cuyahoga County, First Merit Bank, Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, Ohio Carpenters Pension Fund; State of Ohio and Wells Fargo.
In 2003, Mueller was awarded a Fellowship with the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), a nonpartisan American public policy think tank and grantmaking institution dedicated to promoting cooperation and understanding between North America and Europe. In 2010, Mueller contemplated public office.
Phylogy
Returning to the private sector, Mueller was a founding shareholder of Phylogy, a Santa Clara, CA-based technology firm.[8] As CEO and Vice Chairman, Mueller’s team developed patented DSL broadband technology for global telephone carriers. In 2010, Phylogy was ranked 243rd on the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing companies in the U.S. The company was acquired by Actelis Networks in March 2011.[9]
ITX/martinwolf
In April 2011, Mueller and Marty Wolf co-founded IT ExchangeNet (ITX), a mid-market M&A firm facilitating the sale of IT-enabled businesses globally.[10] That year, Mueller was invited to meet with President Barack Obama and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner to discuss startup funding, R&D and small business growth in the 21st Century.[11][12]
In 2015, Mueller was invited to join a small contingent of nationally recognized broadband experts to meet with President Raul Castro’s administration in Cuba to share broadband best practices in telemedicine, Wi-Fi technologies, wireless and mobile advancements. In 2016, Mueller served as Entrepreneur in Residence for the U.S. State Department teaching best practices to young entrepreneurs in Zambia and Zimbabwe. In December 2020, ITX was acquired by martinwolf M&A Advisors and Mueller was named President of the combined entity. He is a subject matter expert in the IT Services industry, speaking internationally at conferences and events.[13]
Community Service
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Board of Trustees and Technology Committee Chair (2006 - 2019)[14]
- Case Western Reserve Weatherhead School of Business, Guest Lecturer (2014 - Present)
- U.S. Embassy, Entrepreneur in Residence in Zambia and Zimbabwe (2016)
- Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, Board of Trustees (2002 - 2005)
- Arts Cleveland, Chairman of the Board (2006 - 2016)
- Ruffing Montessori School, Board of Trustees (2010 - 2016)
- Saint Malachi Backdoor Ministry, Volunteer (2018 - Present)
- Hats off to the Warehouse District Annual Benefit, Founding Member (1992 - 2000)
Awards
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| Cleveland Institute of Art, Gold Key Scholastic Art & Writing Awards | 1976 |
| Cleveland Magazine, Cleveland’s Most Eligible Bachelors | 1995 |
| USA TODAY/ NASDAQ/Ernst & Young, Entrepreneur of the Year | 1997 |
| Smart Business Network, Pillar Award for Community Service, SBN | 1999 |
| Inside Business Magazine, Most Influential People in Northeast Ohio | 2002 |
| Crain’s Cleveland Business, Cleveland’s Most Powerful People | 2003 |
| German Marshall Fellowship | 2003 |
| James Ford Rhodes High School, Alumni Hall of Fame | 2004 |
Personal Life
Mueller and his wife, Celeste, and have blended family of seven. He is a dedicated yogi, outdoorsman, musician, and community volunteer.
References
- ↑ "Inside City Hall" (in en). https://clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/politics/articles/inside-city-hall.
- ↑ "Meet Tim Mueller Entrepreneur, Visionary, Yogi, Friend" (in en-US). https://www.believeincle.com/chatter-around-believe-in-cle/2015/9/4/meet-tim-mueller.
- ↑ "Forty Under 40 - Tim Mueller" (in en). 2018-06-05. https://www.crainscleveland.com/awards/tim-mueller-34.
- ↑ "Tim Mueller and the Bus Rider Who Believed" (in en). http://workingwithwords.blogspot.com/2003/06/tim-mueller-and-bus-rider-who-believed.html.
- ↑ "MSP Summit- Tim Mueller, President, ITX". https://agenda.themspsummit.com/speaker/mueller-tim/67740.
- ↑ "Technology Makes City Agendas". February 1, 2002. https://www.informationweek.com/it-life/technology-makes-city-agendas.
- ↑ "Cleveland officials consider island park near downtown" (in en). 2003-05-22. https://www.cleveland19.com/story/1289957/cleveland-officials-consider-island-park-near-downtown.
- ↑ Henry J. Gomez, cleveland com (2010-03-16). "Businessman Tim Mueller decides against run for Cuyahoga County executive" (in en). https://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga-county/2010/03/businessman_tim_mueller_decides_against_run_for_cuyahoga_county_executive.html.
- ↑ Coruzant (2022-07-24). "Tim Mueller Feature" (in en-US). https://coruzant.com/feature/tim-mueller-feature/.
- ↑ "CWRU Entrepreneurship Speaker Series: Tim Mueller, CEO, IT ExchangeNet & 3D ExchangeNet (via Zoom)" (in en-US). https://thedaily.case.edu/stec_event/cwru-entrepreneurship-speaker-series-tim-mueller-ceo-it-exchangenet-3d-exchangenet-via-zoom/.
- ↑ (in en) Entrepreneurship Speaker Series: Tim Mueller, IT ExchangeNet / 3D ExchangeNet, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrlpiH_eTyc, retrieved 2023-04-22
- ↑ (in en) If You Want The Highest Valuation, Don’t Put These Things Off - Tim Mueller (ITX), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aCqR-7w9M8, retrieved 2023-04-22
- ↑ "The Channel Company - Events - Speakers". https://event.thechannelco.com/nexgen/speakers.
- ↑ "VIDEO: On The Red Carpet With Tim Mueller & Gregg Fienberg @Rock_Hall @RockHall2015 @SusieFrazierCLE | CoolCleveland". https://coolcleveland.com/2015/04/video-on-the-red-carpet-with-tim-mueller-gregg-fienberg/.
