Vision and youth drive TMone founders

When John Burchert and Anthony Marlowe first met in 1998 during an orientation seminar at the old Iowa City MCI Inc. call-center, they had no idea they were at the beginning of careers that would intertwine and circle back to the same location years later.

"The biggest thing people don't realize in life is the interactions you have right around you. You never know where you could end up," Burchert said.

Burchert, 30, and Marlowe, 26, climbed the corporate ladder with the Fortune 500 MCI. They took various leadership roles before branching out. Now they are back at the Iowa City facility. However, MCI is gone.

Burchert, chief operating officer, and Marlowe, president, run the direct marketing firm TMONE (pronounced T.M.- One). They relocated from North Liberty in mid-February. As part of an expansion, they plan to add 200 employees by May and an additional 20 management positions.

TMONE provides contact services for voice-over Internet protocol, or VoIP. The technology allows voice and video communication over the Internet, a rising format that could compete with traditional telephone and cell phone services. Joe Raso, president of Iowa City Area Development Group, said TMONE's expansion is important because it utilizes an existing facility and offers a range of employment opportunities.

"It keeps two young and talented executives in our area and provides an opportunity for many others to garner important industry and general business skills," Raso said.

Even before Burchert and Marlowe connected professionally, their paths crisscrossed. Burchert and Marlowe came from the Chicago suburbs to the Iowa City area to attend college. They started at Kirkwood Community College, took jobs at MCI while in school and ended up refocusing their purpose around their job.

"I had a choice to move up in a Fortune 500 company, which they put the option in front of me, or go to school. I could always go to school, but I wouldn't always have the opportunity to be a manager of 500 company," Marlowe said. "That experience was my school."

Marlowe, who started at MCI at 19, said his age was an obstacle at times. However, his dedication, commitment and abilities, he said, helped smooth bumps as he learned to interact with older subordinates.

Marlowe's sales performances helped him rise quickly. He took a management position with MCI/Worldcom in Arlington, Va., and was a vice president of business development by 23.

"I have always been career oriented, with an entrepreneurial spirit burning inside of me. I have big ideas. You have to believe big, think big, for big things to happen. I think a lot of people have aspirations, but execution is the key. We execute," Marlowe said.

Marlowe and Burchert said they love to work, but they also have lives outside of work.

Marlowe has a fiancée, Felisha. He played left wing on his high school hockey team. He "tinkers" with "turbo" cars when the weather is nice, and he enjoys the musical group 311 and is a fan of NASCAR.

Burchert and his wife, Ashley, have two children, Ashton, 2, and Addyson, 4 months. Burchert is a baseball and football fan, and he hopes to become a coach as his son gets older. He also admires the New York Yankees and respects the controversial team owner, George Steinbrenner."His philosophy is that if you get the very best people, you can expect the best things to happen," Burchert said.

While their free time is important, Marlowe and Burchert said they are at a point where they put a lot of focus on their business.

They said their mission is for TMONE to "grow, grow, grow," as well as to look into new technologies, such as satellite radio, and going public with the company is on the horizon. They said they expect more tech companies to add locations to the "fertile" Midwest market.

"We want to bring Silicon Valley to the Midwest," Marlowe said.

"We are not the traditional company. We are young and energetic. We like to burn the midnight oil," Burchert said. "When you rally 200 people behind an idea, anything is possible."

Visit Press Release: tmone.com