Digital Consulting Institute

DCI's operations wound down in the early 2000s after its founder, George Schussel, and former president, Ron Gomes had retired from the business. The precipitous decline of the NASDAQ market in 2000 was the first indicator that DCI's business model had peaked. More users sought to obtain information from the Internet instead of DCI's conferences as the first decade in the 21st century began. In addition, after the 9/11/2001 World Trade disaster, people immediately drastically reduced their travel to conferences. At its peak, the company had employed 180 staff, although the typical employment total in the 1990s was around 120. In July 2004, DCI ceased operations as the final group of employees were relocated into new positions with successor firm, SharedInsights.

DCI's operations were negatively impacted by tax evasion charges that lead to the conviction of its two most senior executives.

From 1992 through 1996, DCI diverted over $8 million of its gross receipts to Digital Consulting International, Ltd. (DCIL), a corporation set up in Bermuda, for the purpose of evading the payment of taxes on that income.