Steven G. Mihaylo, Chairman of the Board of Inter-Tel, Incorporated, founded Inter-Tel in Phoenix in 1969, beginning the 34-year odyssey that is Inter-Tel—evolving from simply providing business telephone systems to offering full-fledged managed services, helping businesses facilitate communications that increase business service and productivity.

Mr. Mihaylo’s philosophy has always been to focus on the needs of the customer, growing Inter-Tel from a one-man shop to a global organization employing nearly 1800 people, and servicing more than 500,000 business customers through a network of more than 50 direct sales offices and over 250 authorized providers worldwide. In 1981, common shares of Inter-Tel stock were offered and are quoted on the NASDAQ national market system under the symbol INTL.

Mr. Mihaylo was born in Los Angeles, California. Industrious and determined even as a young boy, he landed his first job as a paper boy for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner—his penchant for selling taking root.

During three years of service in the United States Army, Mr. Mihaylo trained with the Southeast Signal School, the Army radio and radar technicians’ school. Upon his discharge in 1964, he moved to Tempe, Arizona, and began working for Western Electric, the manufacturing arm of AT&T. Eventually promoted to field services engineer, Mr. Mihaylo worked on hardened-L carrier sites throughout the West.

Returning to California in 1966, Mr. Mihaylo attended Orange Coast College and California State University, Fullerton, completing a bachelor degree in accounting and finance in only 30 months.

In addition to his professional career, Mr. Mihaylo has served on the board of numerous community organizations including the Arizona Heart Foundation, Junior Achievement of Arizona, Arizona Museum of Science and Technology and the Arizona State University College of Business Dean's Council of 100. Mihaylo is also involved in the Karl Eller School of Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Arizona and is on the advisory board of Junior Achievement of Central Arizona.