 Built in the late 1860s, Union Hall was given its name due to the
unity all Atlanta residents showed by purchasing shares in replacing
a wooden structure that had met its demise in 1867. Like much of
America, the wooden buildings, built abutting each other, were
falling to the great fires (conflagrations, as they were then called
in the press) that row upon row of ill-suited, timbered structures
could not survive.
In Atlanta, three great fires in the spring and summer of 1867
devoured sections of the downtown district. Prime real estate was
still at a premium, especially in smaller towns, so building codes
still allowed for buildings to have common walls to maximize the
number of structures in the hub of a city. Experience had taught
that they couldn't or shouldn't be made of wood.
Atlantans, determined to make Arch Street their principal
thoroughfare, rebuilt and built the current structures that make up
this street, using bricks from the nearby Atlanta Brickyard.
In a spirit of community support, the company offered bricks at
the special price of $7.50 per thousand to anyone who would build in
Atlanta. Laborers were kept busy for the next several decades as
Atlanta consumed every brick the brickworks could muster from its
kilns.
It is one of these historic brick buildings of the 1860s that
this most modern computer technology business came to call home.
Interviewing Thomas, a retired history teacher, it is impossible
not to note his enthusiasm for the past. He can answer almost
anything a person can ask about his adopted city and probably has an
album or documents or perhaps a detailed report that he can share,
thanks primarily to earlier work done on Atlanta's history by Paul
Adams and his sister Norma Price Adams.
Thomas defines his business in a nutshell: "We design online
educational and training programs for businesses, as well as
governmental agencies, to help train their employees."
The concept is in one of the great growth markets in any industry
right now. Colleges and universities all are offering online
curriculum, but Teleologic is offering education in specific fields
with specific circumstances that aren't offered by other higher
learning institutes. "Our courses allow businesses to train staff
with their particular needs and requirements right at their current
locations," Thomas said. "The reduction just in transportation costs
alone makes for more and more customers wanting our assistance."
To illustrate the point, he showed a book, "Catastrophe
Preparation and Prevention," that is geared to law enforcement
personnel. After the book course is completed, an interactive disk
is then used to actually simulate an emergency, requiring the
trainee to use what they have learned to pursue an appropriate
response.
"The programs allow employees to review as needed and move at
their own pace," he said. "It also guarantees uniformity of
training, as everyone will receive the exact same information."
[to top of second column] |
The list of clients for Teleologic is a who's who of business and
government. Caterpillar, State Farm and Country Companies, as well
as the Department of Homeland Security, all are clients of this
business situated in downtown Atlanta.
Thomas smiles as he relates how he ended up running a national,
and in fact worldwide, corporation in the small town of Atlanta.
Originally from Cuba, Ill., Bill was an assistant director of
admissions for Eureka College when he married Chris. His new wife
was employed by Horace Mann Insurance in Springfield. So Logan
County was a fair balance for their commuter requirements.
Bill and Chris began renting a house in Mount Pulaski. While
there in the summer of 1984, Bill read an article in the Pantagraph
about the clock tower next to the Atlanta Library. After a visit, he
and Chris decided this was where they would put down roots.
Bill eventually went into the field of school administration and
for a time was principal of the Atlanta school.
In 1989, a best friend called Bill asking him if he wanted to
partner in a not-for-profit cross-cultural education program in
association with the Japanese foreign ministry. The idea intrigued
Bill enough to retire from being a school administrator and to move
into this new field of education, provided he didn't have to leave
Atlanta. As time went on, Bill and his partner continued to field
numerous inquiries asking if they could produce educational programs
for various businesses, and thus a "for profit" offshoot, the
Teleologic Learning Company, was formed in 2001.
As the company continued to grow, Bill looked at the double
building at the corners of Arch and Race and decided to fuel both
his passions by properly and respectfully restoring a historical
structure, giving his company the room they needed for expansion.
Walking in through the front doors, it is obvious both missions have
been accomplished.
Although an enthused history buff, Bill doesn't live in the past
and in fact embraces every bit and byte of modern technology that
comes down the electronic highway. It is this compatibility and
comfort with technology that has caused Teleologic to thrive on the
Internet, with customers not only throughout the U.S.A. but anywhere
in the world.
(Teleologic
Learning Company)
[By MIKE FAK]
Readers can find more of Mike Fak's writing at
www.searchwarp.com
and www.problogs.com.
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