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Let us now eulogize the grainy corporate training video of yore.

Soon, it will be only an amusing relic, a reminder of a time when employees sat clustered in dark rooms, trying to stay awake while onscreen a stranger in a sweater-vest droned on about company policy.

Two northwest Arkansas entrepreneurs hope to be remembered as the pair that killed the worn-out VHS tape, brought corporate training and people development into the 21st century, and saved businesses time, money and headaches.

Mike Thompson and Kenny Tomlin already have successful companies based in Springdale and Bentonville, respectively. But their partnership is the Web site GenoNow.com, and the pair aims to turn it into a mecca for online learning and tap into the multi-million dollar professional training industry. Though they didn't disclose specific dollar figures, both have made significant investments in the project, Tomlin said.

Geno - named for the human genome and a nod to the site's organic function - offers businesses a vehicle that can deliver customized or existing training content 24/7.

The "largest companies in northwest Arkansas" have already begun using Geno, Thompson said, allowing one to guess at his clients.

At the same time, the site can be just as beneficial for cutting costs at small and mid-sized outfits, which often don't have the budget for creating in-house training videos or bringing in big-name development experts.

Thompson, founder of organizational development firm Seasons Venture International, wanted to start a business that made engaging, high-quality training and development content available on the Web.

Tomlin, founder and CEO of Web design agency Rockfish Interactive, has roots in designing computer-based training materials, and had goals similar to Thompson's.

About two months ago, they had a you-got-your-peanut-butter-on-my-chocolate moment. The two decided a partnership on the shared goal would eliminate the need to bring in whole new departments. In Thompson's case that would have meant creating a Web development company, while Tomlin would have had to come up with an HR consulting firm from scratch.

Scalable Solution

Thompson launched Geno in January 2007. He knew he would need a Web team that had the chops to realize the full vision for the site.

He'd heard of Tomlin and Rockfish, but it was only after the two met in person that they realized they had the same goal for online learning.

"When Mike and I met, we realized we could quickly bring a product to market that we had been sensing a demand for for years," Tomlin said.

That demand is for a customizable, scalable product that allows employees to watch training sessions, conferences, workshops, lectures or just about anything else that can be filmed or recorded, as well as written materials, which can be downloaded in the common PDF format files.

Making a conference video available on Geno is what Thompson called a "win, win, win" situation.

"The conference will win because it adds sustainability and value to the conference, the keynote speaker will win because their messages generate revenue over time and the attendees will win because they've got that message they can hang on to long-term," he said.

"It's not just a rah-rah session. They can access that information again. If it's an all-day conference or one with lots of breakout sessions, you can access what you missed."

Once the user has created an account and paid for an article or video, it is stored in his or her online portfolio and can be accessed from any computer with an Internet connection.

The type of subject matter available on the site runs the gamut of personal and professional development.

"Experts from all over the world are providing content for Geno," Thompson said.

Corporate clients can upload videos and content they've created themselves and make it accessible only to their employees.

The system is also flexible, especially with the advent of wireless devices such as laptops and iPhones. Geno's designers have kept such devices in mind while working on the site, Tomlin said.

A new hire could watch a training video while on a flight, and afterward could take a test over the material online. A manager could then access the user's test scores and provide feedback before the plane even landed.

That type of flexibility will save companies time and money, because they won't have to coordinate the time, date, place and personnel to train employees, Tomlin said.

Though the site is up and fully operational now, Thompson and Tomlin have big plans to improve and market Geno over the next six months. About 10 people are working on the site right now, but as it grows, more people will be hired.

"In time, this company will have a growing employee base," Tomlin said.

Rockfish and SVI have both contributed company resources and talent to the new partnership, but will continue to pursue their core businesses separately, Tomlin said.

Creative Content

The price of content on Geno varies. An article titled "Increasing Emotional Intelligence" by author Joshua Friedman is $4, while an hour-long audio file by Andy Core, titled "Peak Performance for Professionals" is $15.

"Coaching for Productivity and Trust," a 26-minute video by Randy Ransleben, is $10. Some content is available free, such as a presentation on women in executive levels by Esther Silver-Parker, senior vice president of diversity for Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

A big part of the appeal of Geno is that the site can make money and create exposure for consultants, advisers and personal improvement gurus. The price for material is negotiated with Geno staff, with the Web site receiving a portion of the revenue generated.

Eventually, the site's designers want to create a parallel to Geno, which would function somewhat like YouTube.com, but which would focus on job training and personal development instead of dogs skateboarding and people lip-synching to Top 40 hits.

Anyone would be able to freely upload content, which would then be rated and commented on by other site users. But that new site won't be up and running right away.

"At this time, that's not fleshed out," said Justin Bryant, director at Rockfish. Bryant is handling the product development side of Geno.

When the next site gets up and going, administrators will choose content that has a high number of views and positive feedback and approach the creators of those videos to make customized corporate content for Geno, said Jason Daley, director of information systems and finance for SVI.

Thompson and Tomlin are moving quickly to position Geno at the forefront of online learning.

"The opportunity for what we're building is enormous," Thompson said. "We feel like we can definitely lead this category and own it."

Although there are other online learning sites, Geno offers users something unique, Tomlin said.

"There are Web 2.0 learning sites, but there is not a site that does informative and effective training like this," Bryant said.