Little company has big name, thanks to NFL

You might say that Wonderlic Inc., has stretched its 15 minutes of fame into 35 years.

While the day-to-day activities of the Libertyville testing firm fly well below the public radar, the company assumes almost mythical status after the Super Bowl.

That's when National Football League draft picks take the Wonderlic test, a measure of knowledge that becomes an irresistible piece of intelligence for anyone with a remote interest in pro football.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young's rumored low score two years ago reflected on his perceived ability to play the position in the pros. The news generated 30 million Web site hits and landed CEO Charlie Wonderlic Jr. an invitation to appear on ESPN.

"I said, 'Sure. We're just a little company in Libertyville,'" Wonderlic recounted Tuesday during a lunch sponsored by the GLMV Chamber of Commerce.

The company was founded in 1937 by his grandfather, Eldon, who designed the test that has been used by the NFL for more than three decades.

"We're known by the publicity we get from the NFL and a lot of that publicity is out of our control," he said.

While he enjoys the connection and uses it in marketing materials, Wonderlic is quick to note that last year, 334 football draft picks took the test compared with 2 million job applicants spanning 15,000 clients.

One of them is IndyMac Bank, which failed earlier this year and was taken over by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

The common denominator, whether it is a highly trained athlete or a banking executive, is that the company can help employers do a better job of recruiting and selecting employees.

"It's a science," Wonderlic said.

Hiring has slowed or stopped and in some cases businesses are letting people go. That's what happened at Wonderlic when it downsized from 140 to 65 people between 1999 and 2003.

At that point, had about 100 different tests available to clients. Wonderlic invested $5 million in technology in what he described as an all-in bet.

The thought was to provide employers with a simple process with understandable results in which ordinary workers, like football players, can be judged on several variables that impact the big picture.

"You have to decide what you want," Wonderlic said. "As the employer, you're the buyer."