 | |
| Industry | Information technology |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1981 |
| Defunct | 2001 |
| Fate | acquired by Microsoft |
| Headquarters | |
Area served | United States |
Great Plains Software was an accounting software company located in Fargo, North Dakota, whose products focused on small to medium-sized businesses. [1] It was founded in 1981, [2] went public in 1997, [3] and was sold to Microsoft in 2001. [2] [4] [5] Prior to its acquisition, it had 2,200 employees. [1]
The company was founded in 1981 by Joseph Larson, who also served as the company's first president. [6] Doug Burgum, a future governor of North Dakota and U.S. presidential candidate, joined the company in March 1983 as a shareholder. [6] He provided seed capital for the company and bought out the other investors in early 1984 and became its new president. [7] Larson continued to serve as a director for the company until its acquisition. [6]
The company grew to about 170 employees by 1987, [8] and to around 290 employees by 1989. [9] It received about $300 million in annual sales and a 1997 IPO, after using the Internet to help it expand beyond North Dakota. [10] In 1999 the company acquired Match Data Systems, a development team in the Philippines. [11] In 2000, after the company experienced several layoffs, it was acquired by Microsoft for $1.1 billion. [12] The full purchase was completed in 2001. [2] Its products continue to be offered as Microsoft Dynamics GP. [5] [13]
North Dakota State University is a public land-grant research university in Fargo, North Dakota. It was founded as North Dakota Agricultural College in 1890 as the state's land-grant university. As of 2021, NDSU offers 94 undergraduate majors, 146 undergraduate degree programs, 5 undergraduate certificate programs, 84 undergraduate minors, 87 master's degree programs, 51 doctoral degree programs of study, and 210 graduate certificate programs. It is classified among "R1-Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity".
Forum Communications Company is an American multimedia and technology company headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota. With multiple online and print news brands throughout Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin, Forum Communications offers local news in a variety of digital and broadcast mediums in addition to various niche media brands covering specialty interests.
The Duluth News Tribune is a newspaper based in Duluth, Minnesota. While circulation is heaviest in the Twin Ports metropolitan area, delivery extends into northeastern Minnesota, northwestern Wisconsin, and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The paper has a limited distribution in Thunder Bay, Ontario. The News Tribune has been owned by Forum Communications since 2006.
Don Morton is a former American football player, coach, and software executive. He served as the head football coach at North Dakota State University (1979–1984), the University of Tulsa (1985–1986), and the University of Wisconsin–Madison (1987–1989), compiling a career college football record of 76–51. Morton's 1983 North Dakota State team won an NCAA Division II Football Championship.
Metaswitch Networks is a private UK-based company that was acquired by Microsoft in July 2020. Metaswitch Networks designed, developed, manufactured, and marketed telecommunications software to communication service providers, equipment manufacturers, and large enterprises.
Qualtrics is an American experience management company, with co-headquarters in Seattle, Washington, and Provo, Utah, in the United States. The company was founded in 2002 by Scott M. Smith, Ryan Smith, Jared Smith, and Stuart Orgill.
Drew Howard Wrigley is an American attorney, lawyer, and politician from North Dakota. Wrigley currently serves as the attorney general of North Dakota after being appointed to the position by Governor Doug Burgum following the death of Wayne Stenehjem. Wrigley previously served as the United States Attorney for the District of North Dakota from 2001 to 2009 and again from 2019 to 2021, appointed by President George W. Bush and Donald Trump, respectively. Between his terms as United States attorney, Wrigley served as the 37th lieutenant governor of North Dakota from 2010 to 2016.
The Attachmate Group, Inc. was a privately held software holding company based in Houston, Texas in the United States. The major companies held by the group were Attachmate, NetIQ, Novell, and SUSE.
The 2016 North Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. This would have been the first time North Dakotans selected a governor under new voter ID requirements, in which a student ID was insufficient identification to vote, but a court ruling in August 2016 struck the down the provision; the election was held under the 2013 rules.
The state of North Dakota has improved in its treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents in the late 1990s and into the 21st Century, when the LGBT community began to openly establish events, organizations and outlets for fellow LGBT residents and allies, and increase in political and community awareness.
Douglas James Burgum is an American businessman and politician serving since 2016 as the 33rd governor of North Dakota. He is among the wealthiest governors in the U.S., with an estimated net worth of $1.1 billion. A member of the Republican Party, Burgum was a candidate in the 2024 United States presidential election.
Marvin Nelson is an American politician from the state of North Dakota. He serves in the North Dakota House of Representatives as a member of the North Dakota Democratic-Nonpartisan League Party.
The 2018 United States Senate election in North Dakota took place on November 6, 2018, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of North Dakota, concurrently with other elections to the U.S. Senate, as well as other federal, state and local elections in North Dakota.
Bell Bank is a privately owned bank headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota, with assets of $11 billion. Bell Bank, which employs more than 1,800 people has 20 full-service banking locations in North Dakota, Minnesota and Arizona, and mortgage locations in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, North Dakota, Tennessee and Wisconsin. State Bankshares is Bell Bank's parent company.
Brent Sanford is an American politician who was the 38th lieutenant governor of North Dakota from 2016 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he previously was Mayor of Watford City from 2010 to 2016.
The COVID-19 pandemic in North Dakota is an ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The state reported its first case on March 11, 2020.
The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is a planned museum focused on the life and legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States. It is to be constructed at a site to the west of Medora, North Dakota, near Theodore Roosevelt National Park, which preserves sites associated with Roosevelt's travel in North Dakota between 1883 and 1887. A site in the Badlands of Medora was selected in 2020, as well as the design architect Snøhetta and the architect of record JLG Architects.
Brian Kroshus is an American businessman and politician serving as the Tax Commissioner of North Dakota. He is a former member of the North Dakota Public Service Commission. Kroshus was appointed to both positions by Governor Doug Burgum.
Tammy Miller is an American accountant and politician from North Dakota. She is the 39th lieutenant governor of North Dakota, since 2023. Miller was appointed by Governor Doug Burgum, following Lieutenant Governor Brent Sanford's resignation.
The 2024 presidential campaign of Doug Burgum began on June 7, 2023, at an event in Fargo, North Dakota. Burgum, the governor of North Dakota since 2016, was seeking the Republican Party nomination in its 2024 presidential primaries.
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