Vinod Gupta, Founder

Everest Group LLC

P.O. Box 27395
Omaha, NE 68127
Phone: (402) 537-3000 Fax (402) 505-7592
Vinod Gupta has created over 3,000 new jobs in Omaha and other places. He has also given over $50 million in
charitable contributions over his life. The following is a brief bio.
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Background and Education in India. Vinod Gupta was born on July 4 , 1946 in the village of Rampur Manhyaran
near Saharanpur, located 100 miles north of New Delhi, a village without electricity, roads, running water, toilets,
televisions or cars.
After receiving his high school education in a village school in 1962, Vinod was accepted to I.I.T., Kharagpur,
majoring in agricultural engineering. He received his B.Tech. Degree in 1967.
Education in Nebraska. Upon his 1967 graduation, Vinod received his admission and graduate assistantship at the
University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Department of Agricultural Engineering, under the leadership of Professor Bill
Splinter. Dr. Splinter had been a visiting professor at IIT Kharagpur.
His family borrowed the money for his plane ticket, and in the summer of 1967, Vinod flew to Nebraska with one
suitcase of clothes and $58 in his pocket.
Receiving his engineering degree in 1969, Vinod spent another two years at the University of Nebraska Lincoln,
earning a Masters degree in Business Administration in 1971.
Work at Commodore Corporation in Omaha. In 1971 he moved to Omaha, Nebraska, finding work as a marketing
research analyst with Commodore Corporation, manufacturer of mobile homes with 18 plants around the country.
Start of his Entrepreneurial Career. While at Commodore, Vinod was assigned the task of getting a list of every mobile
home dealer in the United States. He bought lists from the business list companies existing at the time, and found them
to be incomplete and out of date. He felt he could do better; so he ordered all available 4,800 Yellow Pages phone
directories and set out to compile the list himself! He started this venture with $100 which he borrowed. Luckily, all the
phone books were free.
When the books were delivered, they filled up the entire reception area; no one could get through the door of the
receptionists office. Vinod was told that either the books were out of the office by 4 p.m. or he faced termination. A
moving company relocated the boxes to his garage.
With the help of his boss, Vinod sorted the books by state. Commodore told them they could work on their own time, and
the company would consider buying the list from them. When the list was completed, Vinod gave Commodore two
options: Pay $9,000 for exclusive rights to it, or receive it free of charge and permit Vinod and his partner to sell it to
Commodores competitors. Balking at the $9,000 cost, Commodore chose the latter option.
Borrowing $100 from the Ralston Bank, Vinod invested the money in mailers he then sent to other mobile home
manufacturers. Within three weeks, hed received checks for $13,000 and orders for $22,000. Vinod had found
his niche.
Hiring two part-time employees, Vinod launched the company in 1972. The Omaha Company created lists from the
information available in telephone books. These lists became cost-saving marketing tools for mobile home
manufacturers that needed sales prospects. Vinod quit working for Commodore in 1973.

American Business Lists (ABL) expanded quickly. With a philosophy of identifying the customers needs and offering
solutions backed with first-class service, Vinod methodically added other industries to his database. Motorcycle, bicycle,
boat, automobile, tractor, and CB radio dealers were among the first targets, and Vinod found that the demand for
accurate business-to-business marketing information extended to just about every industry.
It took 13 years, but in 1986, ABI finally had the entire Yellow Pages in its database, ready to be accessed in any form
that customers wanted. Vinod, however, continually plowed back the profits into his growing business to meet the
increasing demands of his customers. American Business Information goes public in 1993.
infoUSA (formerly American Business Information). Effective Monday, August 3, 1998, American Business
Information, Inc. changed its corporate name to infoUSA Inc. to better reflect its new business activities.
Over 45 Acquisitions. Vinod learned that internal growth was not enough. He learned the art of acquisitions from his
friend Don Dixon. He completed over 45 acquisitions and took infoUSA from a $44 million company to over $760 million
in income and $160 million in Ebitda through the successful acquisitions.
Created 3,000 New Jobs in Omaha and Other Places. From Vinods original $100 investment, the company had
grown into an organization of over 7,000 employees with $760 million in sales in 2008. infoUSA was sold in July
2010 for $680 Million. Over 3,000 new jobs were created by him in Omaha and other cities.
Major Charitable Contributions. Vinod has recognized the value of education in his own life. As a result, he has
donated over $50 million over the last 20 years. He plans to give more of his net worth to charity in the future. Some of
Vinods major projects include:

Vinod Gupta School of Management

Ram Rati Institute of Technology
William Jefferson Clinton Science and Technology
Center
Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law
The Hillary Rodham Clinton School of Nursing
Giri Lal Gupta Institute of Public Health
Shanker Dayal Sharma Institute for Democracy
Giri Lal Gupta Student Center
Tigers of Ranthambhor
American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska
The American Himalayan Foundation
Aspen Music Festival and School
Dunn School

The George Washington University of Law School

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Los Angeles Philharmonic Association
New World Symphony
Phillips Exeter Academy
San Francisco Symphony
University of Miami
University of Nebraska Minority Scholar Fund
Vinod Gupta Fund for the Larsen Tractor Museum
Vinod Gupta Fund for the UNL CBA Professional
Life Skills Center
Vinod Gupta Global Exchange Fund
William J. Clinton Foundation

Recognition. Vinod was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Monterey Institute of International Studies and an
Honorary Doctorate from the University of Nebraska and I.I.T., Kharagpur. He was appointed by President Clinton to
serve as a Trustee on the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
Nominated to be U.S. Ambassador to Fiji. He was nominated and confirmed to be the Unites States Consul General
to Bermuda. President Clinton also nominated Vinod to be the United States Ambassador to Fiji, but due to business
commitments, he withdrew his name from consideration. Vinod serves on other various civic and educational boards.