Happy Birthday IBM

June 14, 2011 by Yarianna Molano, BocaRaton.com

This Wednesday, June 15th marks IBM’s 100 years of creativity, innovation, and overall success! Over these 100 years IBM has managed to not only overcome the challenges of being outwitted, sidelined, or creased by its competitors and environment but also has been announced by Fortune in 2011 to be the 18th largest firm in the U.S. and the 7th most profitable globally. This firm has leaped through and come up with inventions that shape the United States as a whole today.

One of their most notable inventions was led by William C. Lowe and 12 other engineers, when the first PC was assembled in Boca Raton, FL and released on August 12, 1981. Objects we see and use every day such as gas pumps, retail machines, and communication and transportation systems are all equipped with the PC! The PC became a breakthrough, an evolution throughout the world and we can thank Boca Raton for having a key part in history.

Today, IBM still has profound roots in Boca Raton, as Sherry Lautenbach, vice president of general business and senior business executive for South Florida noted “We still have a very strong presence in the Boca area as well as South Florida” “IBM Florida produced more than 200 patents in 2010, and the majority came from the Boca Raton location”. In fact IBM has topped the list of the world’s most inventive companies, leading the list with the most U.S. patents received; 2010 was their 18th consecutive year in accomplishing this great achievement. IBM is an amazing company whose possibilities are endless with a brilliant staff and prodigious inventors to match. What will they come up with next?

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Personal_Computer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boca_Raton,_Florida

http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa031599.htm

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-06-01/news/fl-ibm-centennial-boca-20110602_1_ibm-tech-firm-south-florida/2

http://www.profitable.com/ibm-inventors-receive-record-5896-us-patents/653670/

http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/palm-beach-post/mi_8163/is_20040322/boca-gains-master-inventors-ibm/ai_n51829860/