205 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago 60601; 312-228-4500
Web site: www.techsol.com
Founded: 1988
Employees: 1,511; 250 in Illinois
Year-end: May 31
Foreign sales: 12 percent of $165.1 million
Chief executive: John T. Kohler, 51, since 1995
Cash compensation: $985,000, up 4 percent
Options granted: $1,010,164, up 464 percent
Options, stock appreciation rights exercised: $2,825,147
Shares owned: 306,868 of 25.5 million
Largest shareholder: Putnam Investments Inc., 11 percent
Stock: 365-day close as of April 15
High: $37.50
Low: $16.66
April 15: $31.75
April 17, 1998, value of $1,000 in company stock:
Purchased 1997: $1,734
Purchased 1993: $8,219
Technology Solutions is a consulting firm that advises major corporations on a variety of computer-technology, strategic-planning and business-management issues.
With the growth of the computer-services market, the company had another outstanding year. But concerns about high expansion costs abroad and the western U.S. have hurt the company’s stock.
Technology Solutions is on pace to have another good year. Analysts expect the company’s earnings per share to grow annually at a rate of about 35 percent over the next few years.
———-
A guide to the Top 100 profiles
The Tribune’s business staff profiles the Chicago area’s Top 100 companies, based on market capitalization as of April 15. Here’s a quick primer on the information you’ll find:
– The CEO’s cash compensation, including bonus and other compensation paid in 1997, along with the change from the prior year.
– The figure for the CEO’s stock holdings includes shares the CEO had the right to acquire within 60 days of the proxy statement’s issuance.
– The company’s largest shareholder.
– Estimated current values of stock options granted the CEO, and the change from the prior year, as well as options and stock appreciation rights exercised during the year. In most cases, the value of options granted is based on an assumption of a 5 percent annual rate of stock price growth, or is determined using the Black-Scholes option pricing model.
– Theoretical total-return investment results for shares purchased for $1,000 a year ago and five years ago. The date on which these calculations are based is April 17. The results assume reinvestment of dividends on a quarterly basis.
The information in the profiles was obtained from the following sources:
– Company reports, including annual reports, public stock offering prospectuses and proxy statements.
– Interviews with company officials.
– Reports by securities analysts.
– News reports.
– Bloomberg News, New York.
– “Hoover’s Handbook,” The Reference Press Inc., Austin, Texas.
