Forty Under 40
Philadelphia Business Journal, April 16, 1996

Info For You

Michael A. Levinson, chief executive officer and co-founder of PTS Learning Systems, King of Prussia was selected as one of Philadelphia's "40 Under 40" young business leaders.

Age: 35 Born: 6/21/60

Hometown: Philadelphia

Resides: Phoenixville

Education: Bachelor's degree, economics, University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, 1981; law degree, Villanova University School of law, 1984

Professional Experience: 1984-1986 - manager ,computer consulting group, GBL&W; 1986-present - co-founder and CEO, PTS Learning Systems.

There are two audiences for computer software training courses, said Michael A. Levinson, co-founder and chief executive officer of PTS Learning Systems. "There are those who are still nervous about the technology, who are still afraid they will hurt something if they hit the wrong key, and then there are the people who are comfortable with the technology, have been using it for a couple of years, but remain unaware of powerful software features that remain hidden or tucked away," he said.

PTS provides computer training in two different ways that enable members of both audiences to improve their productivity. It operates training centers that offer instructor-led courses in software programs and publishes software products that allow companies to customize their training programs.

Levinson's goal is to grow the revenues of the privately held company to more than $50 million within the next five years. Revenues reached between $10 million and $15 million in 1995 and are projected to grow to between $15 million and $20 million for 1996, he said.

PTS got its start in 1986 when Levinson and Patricia Roberts were contracted to run computer training classes at eight MBI Computer Stores. After a couple of years, the chain went into bankruptcy, and PTS was formed to continue training operations.

In 1994, Safeguard Scientifics Inc. invested $2 million in PTS, which currently has 125 employees. Within the next year or two, PTS intends to go public, Levinson said.

PTS operates training centers in New York City and Philadelphia. Its other division publishes software learning products, including CustomDOC and On-Demand Interactive Learning. The software has proved popular because it enables computer users to learn while they are working at their desks, Levinson said.

"Our products provide a single consistent way of learning no matter what the brand of computer or its software," he said. "Instead of just going to a class or getting a tutorial, our product provides on-demand interactive learning. It's a way of learning at your desktop, learning while you work. We focus our training on teaching the use of software as it relates to any particular business.

To date, the company's training segment has been the greater revenue producer. Levinson expects that to start to change this year as demand for the company's software products begins to accelerate.

"We have a learning tool that increases productivity for any computer user," he said. "That has become the compelling reason for our ability to attract corporate clients."

Copyright © 1996-1997 PTS Learning Systems. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without the expressed written permission of PTS Learning Systems is prohibited.