Dot.com Survivor - Alex Algard
Alex Algard is a true entrepreneur. His companies – WhitePages.com and CarDomain.com – are born from his passions. Both are thriving businesses in Seattle. Both survived the dotcom bust – no small feat!
As a Stanford University graduate student, Algard was frustrated by his inability to track down an old friend: he wasted time on Internet searches and wasted money calling 411. He created a better, less costly way to access directory assistance information.
WhitePages.com began as a dorm-room hobby. In 1997 he purchased the domain name and went live as online phone directory. It caught on like wildfire. By the end of 2000 more than one million people used WhitePages.com each month, prompting Algard to incorporate it and sell online advertising.
Under his leadership, the company has been profitable since 2000, and earned more than $52 million in 2006. Today it is the 41st most trafficked Website used by more than 23 million people each month. It powers 150 million searches monthly!
Algard founded CarDomain in 1998 as an online destination for automotive enthusiasts. It’s one of the earliest Web 2.0 companies, with a focus around online communities. Alex has served as chairman and CEO at CarDomain; today he’s Chief Car Enthusiast.