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Michael Krasny
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Michael Krasny is a businessman from Illinois. He is the founder and former chief executive officer of CDW Corporation, a direct seller of technical gadgets including computers and networking equipment. Krasny's previous job before creating CDW was that of a Toyota car salesman for his father at Arlington Toyota.
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Krasny likes Gay Talese because "he stays in touch with who he is and was," instead of joining the clubby "Manhattan cognoscenti." He admires Alice Walker, who is committed to "the necessity to heal the ancestors, enshrine the human spirit and root out and speak out against violence and depravity." He describes Robert Stone as "a writer whose work was filled with dark edges and paranoia but who came across in the flesh as the most genial of men, kind and collegial, nearly docile, an autodidact who never finished high school but taught at both Harvard and Yale." Krasny is "crazy about" Margaret Atwood, charmed by "her intelligence and thoughtfulness and girlishness," and he seems surprised that the polymathic Michael Crichton was "charming and sweet but precise and deliberate in responses."
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Responding to a question about CDW’s growth strategy in a highly competitive market, Krasny explained that the firm is now pursuing more government contracts and looking into target markets, such as healthcare. Stating that current growth in the technology sector is pegged at 5 to 7 percent, Krasny added that he believes CDW can achieve 15-percent growth, possibly more.
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Michael Krasny will be the featured speaker for the final lecture of the 2005 South Bay Institute Distinguished Lecture Series on April 21. He will be talking on Jewish Humor: What Makes the Jews Funny and Why.
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Before coming to KQED Public Radio in 1993, Dr. Krasny hosted a night-time talk program for KGO Radio and co-anchored the weekly KGO television show Nightfocus. He hosted Bay TV's Take Issue, a nightly news analysis show, programs for KQED Public Televison, KRON television and National Public Radio, and did news commentary for KTVU television.
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Krasny, who took the company public in 1993, announced he would step down as CEO last April. He may be stepping out of the spotlight, but the 47-year-old Midwesterner has plenty to show for his homegrown company, including a personal fortune of $1.2 billion. It's a long way from Krasny's previous job: selling Toyotas for his father.
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Michael Krasny