Inside Gallaudet

Two Gallaudet alumni, John T.C. Yeh and son, Jason T. Yeh, have recently garnered considerable recognition. Their work and the accomplishments of their company, Viable, Inc., have resulted in the naming of John T.C. Yeh, founder and president, to The Gazette of Politics and Business’ annual "25 CEOs You Need to Know", and landed him a place on the cover of the publication. Jason T. Yeh, vice president of technology, stars on the cover of CNN’s Fortune Small Business Magazine with the VPAD, a portable videophone that was his brainchild. Both publications came out in September. The senior Yeh, in addition to being an alumnus, is the chair of Gallaudet's Board of Associates and a past trustee.

 

When The Gazette of Politics and Business released its list of 53 exceptional businesses in the state of Maryland, Viable—a developer of videophones and a provider of video relay services—was again recognized, this time in the number two slot. Numbers one and three on the list were Bethesda-based Honest Tea, a nationally known brand of flavored tea beverages, and Discovery Communications, the owner of popular cable TV networks such as Animal Planet and The Learning Channel.

 

Viable gained notice, in part, for its extraordinary growth over the past few years. The company counted six employees when it moved into its present Rockville headquarters in May 2006, and has since grown to 150 employees and expanded to Ellicott City, Frederick, and Towson. The Gazette also commended Viable for providing its employees with a dynamic workplace, and for its innovation in developing next-generation videophones for the deaf and hard of hearing community.

 

John and Jason Yeh and a contingent of Viable employees attended The Gazette of Politics and Business’ awards reception in Bethesda on September 18, where the publication recognized the 25 CEOs and unveiled its list of top companies in Maryland. There, they personally accepted the award for Viable’s upper tier spot on the list of exceptional businesses.