The Literacy Company is a leader in developing reading improvement software and
is committed to supporting all readers as they strive to achieve their full reading
potential.
Founded in 1996, The Literacy Company has dedicated years to research and
development of The Reader's Edge® software.
Our mission is to teach individuals of all ages to become
Silent (vs. Oral) Fluent Readers. Fluent Reading is Effective &
Efficient Speed Reading. Fluent Readers read better and faster
with improved comprehension and recall.
Fluency today has become synonymous
with oral reading proficiency. Based on current research and data The Literacy Company maintains
that fluent "silent" reading proficiency is achieved by a completely opposite set of skills
than employed by oral readers. 99% of all readers after third grade live in a silent reading world.
These readers will be condemned to become slow readers if they continue to read one word at a time with each
eye fixation and vocalize words (lip or subliminally) as they read. Fluent Readers on
the other hand have learned to incorporate the vital reading skills that allow them to see, read and
process groups of words with each eye fixation without the need to vocalize.
According to John Anthony O’Brien, Ph.D., professor and author
of Silent Reading "...records reveal the physiological basis of the superiority
of silent over oral reading in point of both speed and comprehension." Based on
academic, theoretic and pedagogical (art and science of teaching)
principles, silent reading skills produce true reading fluency.
The Literacy Company’s goals are aligned with, and support, the No Child Left Behind Act of
2001, Federal Department of Education and the White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and Universities.
Management Team
Richard K. Sutz CEO and Founder
Richard Sutz brings more than forty years of experience in teaching
enhanced reading skills to The Literacy Company. His research has shown that
America’s national reading curriculum has produced a nation of poor readers
because current reading instruction effectively stops after oral reading skills
are learned. Yet, 99.9% of all reading requires silent reading skills. Mr.
Sutz’s breakthrough developments teach fluent (silent) reading skills, enabling
individuals to read better while comprehending and recalling more. More...
In the 1960’s, he was a consultant to Evelyn Wood, founder of Evelyn Wood
Reading Dynamics®*. His background and
experience span executive roles in both the private and public sector.
He began his business career in the 1960’s as Director for Europe and the
Middle East for Grumman Aircraft where he was responsible for marketing
military and civilian aircraft. He later moved to Scottsdale, Arizona and began
his entrepreneurial career focused in the field of energy-related technologies
and educational software designed to teach enhanced reading skills.
In the late 1970’s he was appointed the Deputy Director of the Arizona Energy
Office, with joint responsibility for Arizona Energy Conservation Programs. He
later joined the U.S. Department of Energy as Director of the Energy Related
Inventions. His entrepreneurial spirit moved him again as he then began the
creation of a high performance water-pumping windmill, which operates at low
wind speeds, desalinates and purifies water and is currently in production in
China with plans underway for production in Canada for world-wide distribution.
At one point in his impressive career, Mr. Sutz served as a Project Officer
with the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics. He invented the key component of
fighter pilot’s oxygen breathing systems that prevent fatal accidents caused by
hypoxia (lack of oxygen at high altitudes). His other major development was to
install the first rocket-powered ejection seat for Naval aircraft enabling
pilots to eject from the runway on landing or takeoff. For his efforts, he was
awarded a Commendation from the Chief of Naval Operations.
Mr. Sutz has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the
Illinois Institute of Technology, and a graduate degree in International
Business and Finance at IMD, Lausanne, Switzerland.
* Trademark owned by FPS Training Corp.
Rich Coppola Vice-President of Technology
Rich Coppola is the co-developer of The Reader’s
Edge program. Rich has more than 25 years of experience in all phases of
computer software and hardware. He has brought to The Literacy Company his vast
experience in computer software development and a unique combination of skills
as a recognized expert in the areas of Problem Solving and Interpersonal Skills,
Product Development, Open Systems, Personal Computers, Product Migration,
Systems Architecture and Product Maintenance. More...
In the last several years he has specialized in the development of custom and
shrink-wrap applications for Microsoft Windows platforms. With the Bull
Corporation he consulted widely in the USA and Europe in the area of computer
security, distributed computing and the integration of proprietary and open
systems.
Mr. Coppola’s research activities included migration strategies for proprietary
system applications to open systems, micro-kernels, distributed and
client-server technologies and applications, communications and networking,
distributed Transaction Processing and distributed databases. His earlier work
focused on developing system architecture, security definition and central
processor functional specifications.
Rich is the recipient of numerous awards for technical excellence and is a
publisher author of many Bull proprietary publications.
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