Robert Yallen said that he got one of his first lessons on running a company while operating a jewelry business during his college years. When the price of gold unexpectedly skyrocketed, the increased cost made his business model unworkable, and he had to shut down the company.
“That taught me a lot because my dad would say that you can sell anything if you don’t make money,” said Yallen, who was recently named chief executive of Inter/Media Group of Cos. He succeeds his father, who died in February.
Yallen, a native Angeleno, graduated with a business degree from California State University, Northridge in 1981. He went on to earn a mass communication law degree from Southwestern University Law School in 1984, and passed the bar in 1985.
That year, he joined his father, Sydney, at Inter/Media, and the two built the Encino advertising and media firm into a $450 million company that comprises 10 business units offering a range of services.
Yallen credits his wife, Linda, with helping him through an emotional transition.
“She is an integral part of my success,” he said. “She allows me to bounce all my ideas off her and helps me with various campaigns and business ideas.”
This family approach to business now extends to a third generation, as Yallen’s daughter, Lindsay, is working her way up through the ranks at Inter/Media.
“As my father relied upon me to grow the business with him, now I’m relying on my daughter to step into a similar role as I did when I joined the organization,” Yallen said.
She will have to hold down the fort for the foreseeable future, as her brother, Jordan, is pursuing a burgeoning baseball career. The outfielder at Golden Valley High School in Santa Clarita was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in June, but decided to accept a scholarship to play for Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash.
“It was a tough decision, most guys now are not being drafted out of high school,” said Robert Yallen, who was an All-American sprinter at CSUN.
Yallen lives in Hidden Hills with his wife. In his spare time, he likes to play poker.
– Susannah Snider
