Frank Islam sold QSS, his 13-year-old government contracting business, to Ross Perot last January for a whopping $250M. What does someone with that much money do now? We paid a visit to Frank in his Tysons office to find out.
One thing’s for sure: Frank is happy. He was all smiles as he ushered us into his 11th floor office and offered iced green tea, which he says he drinks every day. Since selling QSS, Frank definitely has more free time: His regimen went from 16-hour days, six or seven days a week, to meetings that don’t start until 9:30 AM, plus extended lunches. So what exactly does Frank do at his new office? He’s started Frank Islam Investment Group, which bets on emerging tech like Vigilar, an Atlanta-based security software firm. Frank’s also taken an interest in diagnostic imaging centers, like one he purchased in Orlando with a 164-slice CT scan. Why the jump from contracting to healthcare? “It’s a three trillion dollar industry – why not?” he tells us. Also, he signed a 3-year non-compete with Perot so contracting was a no-go, although he admitted it might be possible again down the road.
We wondered what it was like selling QSS. Like selling a child? A death in the family? Not for Frank: “I’m always optimistic; it didn’t bother me at all when I left.” He said he was ready for the last couple years; it was time to move on to new challenges. Now Frank and wife Debbie have started the Debbie and Frank Islam Foundation, a scholarship fund sponsoring arts and education all over the world. Plus, as a personal friend of Hillary Clinton, he also has a big interest in politics. He’s been fundraising, and if Hillary’s chosen, may even enjoy a civics lesson at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. And there’s always his new house to keep him busy. He’s working on getting the permit to build a French chateau, complete with Japanese koi pond, on a 9-acre lot in Potomac. Hmm, what would he have done with a billion?