News & Press Releases
Iacovos Zachariades, the President and co-founder of Global Reach, was featured in the Iowa State University Alumni Association's spring 2005 issue. The article featured four young Iowa State alumni for their impact on the state's economy and their role in creating a healthy environment for business and industry in the state.
The four outstanding young alumni featured in the piece included; Eric Almquist, Senior General Manager of the new Jordan Creek Town Center in West Des Moines; Lisa Lorenzen, Director of Industry Relations and Biotechnology Liaison in the Vice Provost for Research's Office of Biotechnology; Jami Haberl, Executive Director of the Center for Disaster Operations and Response in the Iowa Department of Public Health and Zachariades.
Following is an excerpt of the article including the introduction and the portion featuring Zachariades as published in Iowa State University Alumni Association's Visions magazine.
New Directions
Iowa State University VISIONS, Spring 2005Iowa State's 27,000 students, 6,000 full-time faculty and staff, and the more than 72,000 alumni living in Iowa are fueling the state's economy: conducting research, creating jobs, and shaping Iowa's future. Young alumni especially are taking the state in new and exciting directions. In this section, we profile four high-achieving, young alumni who are making a difference in Iowa's retail economy, high-tech community, public health sector, and biotech industry – and we explore Iowa's economic future, ISU's impact on that future, and how Iowa State enhances the quality of life in Iowa . . . one graduate at a time.
Technology: A global passion
Iacovos Zachariades wanted to be a teacher. He came to Iowa from the Mediterranean island of Cyprus on a scholarship to Luther College. When he discovered he liked working with computers, he enrolled at Iowa State to get a master's degree in instructional technology.
After he graduated in 1995, he began to manage some of Iowa State's academic computer labs and teach classes in Website development. He enrolled in advanced graduate classes to begin work toward his PhD. And, on the side, he started up a little company called Global Reach.
That little company, still headquartered in Ames in the ISU Research Park, now has 342 clients, satellite offices in Cyprus and Korea, and recently won the Iowa Technology Company of the Year Award.
His clients now range from small businesses and non-profit organizations to government institutions and national corporations. The company's services include Web development, site and server hosting, software solutions, network support, and graphic design.
Beginning in 2000 with just three part-time employees, Zachariades sought the security of Research Park's "incubator" network in south Ames. That set-up offered him an affordable office with Internet access, phone lines, and a lot of other things that new businesses often have to provide for themselves. Now, with 16 full-time employees, a number of Iowa State interns, and a steadily expanding clientele, Zachariades says his company could "make it anyplace," but he still likes the environment of the Research Park – and Iowa.
"The state has vision," he says. "There are enough clients to keep us busy here for a long, long time."
For More Information:
Iacovos Zachariades
Global Reach Internet Productions
Email: iacovos@globalreach.com
