Technology >> CEO Interviews >> July 29, 1999
JAMES TRUCHARD is co-Founder, President, and CEO of National Instruments
Corporation. In April of 1999, Worth Magazine recognized him as one of
the 50 best Chief Executive Officers in the country. More than 100 top
Wall Street analysts chose Dr. Truchard for leading National Instruments
sales and products on an upward slope and steering the company to 23
consecutive years of double-digit growth. Dr. Truchard also was selected
to the Worth 50 for his integrity, vision, ability to focus, willingness
to take strategic risks, and belief in himself and his company. In 1991,
Test and Measurement World Magazine presented the prestigious John Fluke
Sr. Memorial Award to Dr. Truchard for his significant contributions to
the electronics test industry. Also in 1991, KPMG Peat Marwick awarded
Dr. Truchard the Master Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and in 1987 they
presented Dr. Truchard with one of the first Texas High Technology
Entrepreneur awards for nurturing a high-technology entrepreneurial
enterprise into a rapidly growing, successful company. Dr. Truchard also
received an award from the Austin Police Department in 1995 for
dedicated support and untiring efforts in community service. Prior to
founding the company in 1976, he worked at the University of Texas at
Austin for 16 years in the Acoustical Measurements Division at the
Applied Research Laboratories. His projects included the development of
automated military instrument systems and basic research in underwater
acoustics. Dr. Truchard earned his PhD in Electrical Engineering at The
University of Texas at Austin in 1974, specializing in acoustics and
signal processing. He received his MS in Physics in 1967 and his BS in
Physics in 1964 from The University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Truchard is
a member of the Advisory Council on the Digital Economy. He is also a
member of the Industry Advisory Committee of Scientific Computing and
Automation magazine, a former member of the UT Austin Electrical and
Computer Engineering Visiting Committee, and Chairman of the UT Austin
Engineering Faculty Advisory Council (EFAC). He is a founding member of
the Austin Software Council. Dr. Truchard has published numerous
technical articles in conference proceedings and electronics and
engineering magazines. He is a co-inventor of LabVIEW, the company's
award-winning graphical software for instrumentation. In addition to
managing National Instruments at the executive level, he also designed
several of the first IEEE 488 (GPIB) interface boards that the company
brought to market. He continues to play a key, day-to-day role in
National Instruments strategic planning. Profile
Instruments Corporation the company's history, products, customers,
those kinds of things?
Dr. Truchard: The company was
