James Goodnight

Last updated
James Goodnight
Drgoodnight.jpg
Born
James Howard Goodnight

January 6, 1943 (1943-01-06) (age 81)
Salisbury, North Carolina, U.S.
Other namesJim Goodnight
Education North Carolina State University (PhD)
Occupation(s)Businessman and software developer
TitleCEO, SAS
Term1976–
SpouseAnn Goodnight
Children3

James Howard Goodnight (born January 6, 1943) is an American billionaire businessman and software developer. He has been the CEO of SAS since 1976, which he co-founded that year with other faculty members of North Carolina State University. [1] As of December 2024, his net worth was estimated at US$16.7 billion, according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index [2] and was regarded as the richest person in North Carolina as of April 2023. [3]

Contents

Early life and career

Goodnight was born to Albert Goodnight and Dorothy Patterson in Salisbury, North Carolina, on January 6, 1943. [4] He lived in Greensboro until he was 12, when his family moved to Wilmington. As a kid he worked at his father's hardware store. [5] [6]

Goodnight's career with computers began with a Mathematics course at North Carolina State University. One summer he got a job writing software programs for the agricultural economics department. [7] Goodnight was a member of the Beta-Beta chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon at NC State, and contributed to the construction of a new fraternity house for the chapter in 2002. [8]

Goodnight received a master's degree in statistics in 1968. [5] He also worked at a company building electronic equipment for the ground stations that communicated with the Apollo space capsules. [9] [10] While working on the Apollo program, Goodnight experienced a work environment with a high turnover rate and this shaped his views on corporate culture. [10] [11] Goodnight returned to North Carolina State University after working on the Apollo project, where he earned a PhD in statistics and was a faculty member from 1972 to 1976. [7]

Career

Goodnight joined another faculty member at North Carolina State in a research project to create a general purpose statistical analysis system (the original meaning of the name SAS) for analyzing agricultural data. [12] The project was operated by a consortium of eight land-grant universities and funded primarily by the USDA. Goodnight along with fellow faculty member Anthony James Barr became project leaders for the development of the early version of SAS. [13] When the software had 100 customers in 1976, Goodnight and three others from the University left the college to form SAS Institute [14] [15] in an office across the street. [7]

Goodnight has remained CEO of SAS Institute for more than 45 years as the company grew from $138,000 in its first year in business, to $420 million in 1993 and $3.2 billion in 2022. [16] Under his leadership, the company experienced continuous growth, [17] becoming one of the largest privately held software providers in the world. [18] Goodnight became known for creating and promoting SAS' corporate culture, [19] often described by the media as "utopian." [11] [20] He rejected acquisition offers and chose not to take SAS public to protect the company's work environment. [4] Goodnight has maintained a flat and flexible organizational structure at the company. [21] [22]

Goodnight at the World Economic Forum in Cologny, Geneva. Jim Goodnight.jpg
Goodnight at the World Economic Forum in Cologny, Geneva.

HSM Global described Goodnight's leadership style in a framework of three pillars: "help employees do their best work by keeping them intellectually challenged and by removing distractions; make managers responsible for sparking creativity; eliminate arbitrary distinctions between 'suits' and 'creatives'; engage customers as creative partners to help deliver superior products." [23]

In 1981, Goodnight was elected as a Fellow of the American Statistical Association. [24] Goodnight has been called the "Godfather of AI" for his role in the creation of SAS. [25]

In 1997, he received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement. [26] In 2004, he was named a Great American Business Leader by Harvard Business School. [27] [28] That same year he was named one of America's 25 Most Fascinating Entrepreneurs by Inc. Magazine. [29] He has also been a frequent speaker and participant at the World Economic Forum. [7] In March 2020, Jim Goodnight was awarded a CEO Great Place to Work For All Leadership Award by Great Place to Work. [30]

Personal life

Goodnight met his wife, Ann, while he was a senior at North Carolina State University and she was attending Meredith College. They have been married for over 50 years and have three children. [4] [31]

Rock collection

Goodnight has an interest in rock collecting. As a child, Goodnight would collect quartzes and arrowheads in the Greensboro area. He rediscovered his interest in geology in adulthood and began collecting rare rocks and other natural objects. In addition to minerals, he has also collected fossilized wood, dinosaur eggs and arrowheads from the Archaic period in North Carolina (dating between 8,000 BC and 1,000 BC). His collection includes hundreds of pieces, coming from over 40 countries. [32] Goodnight has described rocks and minerals as a genre of art. [33]

Parts of the collection are exhibited on the SAS campus in Cary, North Carolina. The display has been described as "a testament to his love of unique pieces of earth, from petrified dinosaur eggs, to impressive, mosaic chunks of native granite, to large, glassy meteorites." [34] Goodnight has loaned pieces from his collection to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences for the enjoyment of the public. A selection of pieces are displayed in the Betsy M. Bennett Bridge to Discovery, which links the museum to its Nature Research Center. [32]

Wealth and philanthropy

In April 2023, Goodnight's net worth was estimated at US$7.4 billion, making him the richest person in North Carolina, ahead of Epic Games' Tim Sweeney. [3] The Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimated his net worth to be US$11 billion in April 2024. [35]

Goodnight has an interest in improving the state of education, particularly elementary and secondary education. [36] He has advocated for increased funding for STEM education in the United States to prevent brain-drain and the outsourcing of research and technology jobs to other countries. [37] In 1996, Goodnight and his wife, along with his business partner, John Sall and his wife Ginger, founded an independent prep school Cary Academy. [38] He has advocated for restructuring preschool funding in North Carolina to extend access to more children in the state. [39]

The Goodnights have engaged in various philanthropic activities related to North Carolina State University. They created the Goodnight Scholarships, including the Goodnight Scholars Program and the Goodnight Transfer Scholars Program, which provides full tuition scholarships and development programs to students in STEM. [40] Their endowments have also created the Goodnight Doctoral Fellowship, 28 named faculty positions, and a deanship at North Carolina State. [41]

The Goodnights also founded the Goodnight Educational Foundation in 2005. [42] The foundation has supported the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities' Science of Reading Initiative. [43] In 2023, the Goodnight Distinguished Professorship in Early Literacy at Western Carolina University was established with a $1.5 million endowment from the foundation. [44] Goodnight has also contributed to the William and Ida Friday Institute for Educational Innovation. [45]

The Goodnights have also donated to causes such as wildlife conservation and historical preservation. [46] They sponsored the Jim and Ann Goodnight Museum Park, part of the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh. [47] In 2018, Goodnight and his wife were awarded by the North Carolina Museum of History for their contributions to the preservation of North Carolina history. [48] He is a patron of the Carolina Ballet. [49]

Both of the Goodnights are also involved in the local Cary, North Carolina, community. He has invested heavily in real estate in Cary, which - in addition to tax revenue generated by SAS and the attraction of thousands of employees - has contributed to the town's growth since the 1970s. He has also invested in the development of the neighboring community of Chatham Park. [50] [51] He owns Prestonwood Country Club and The Umstead Hotel and Spa situated on the edge of the SAS campus. [52] [53] [54]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Ballmer</span> American businessman and investor (born 1956)

Steven Anthony Ballmer is an American businessman and investor who served as chief executive officer of Microsoft from 2000 to 2014. He is the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a co-founder of Ballmer Group, a philanthropic investment company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Carolina State University</span> Public university in Raleigh, North Carolina, US

North Carolina State University is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The university forms one of the corners of the Research Triangle together with Duke University in Durham and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wake County, North Carolina</span> County in North Carolina, United States

Wake County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,129,410, making it North Carolina's most populous county. From July 2005 to July 2006, Wake County was the 9th-fastest growing county in the United States, with Cary and Raleigh being the 8th- and 15th-fastest growing communities, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cary, North Carolina</span> Town in North Carolina, US

Cary is a town in Wake, Chatham, and Durham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is part of the Raleigh-Cary, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2020 census, its population was 174,721, making it the seventh-most populous municipality in North Carolina, and the 148th-most populous in the United States. In 2023, the town's population had increased to 180,010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SAS Institute</span> American IT and analytics company

SAS Institute is an American multinational developer of analytics and artificial intelligence software based in Cary, North Carolina. SAS develops and markets a suite of analytics software, which helps access, manage, analyze and report on data to aid in decision-making. The company's software is used by most of the Fortune 500.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Schmidt</span> American businessman and software engineer (born 1955)

Eric Emerson Schmidt is an American businessman and former computer engineer who was the chief executive officer of Google from 2001 to 2011 and the company's executive chairman from 2011 to 2015. He also was the executive chairman of parent company Alphabet Inc. from 2015 to 2017, and technical advisor at Alphabet from 2017 to 2020. As of December 2024, he was 45th wealthiest according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index with an estimated net worth of US$37.8 billion.

Glen Lang is an American businessman and politician who served as mayor of Cary, North Carolina from 1999 to 2003. He also was a professional hockey player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William B. Umstead State Park</span> State park in North Carolina, United States

William B. Umstead State Park is a North Carolina state park in Wake County, North Carolina in the United States. It covers 5,599 acres (22.66 km2) nestled between the expanding cities of Raleigh, Cary, and Durham, North Carolina. It offers hiking, bridle, and bike trails, boat rentals, camping, picnic areas, and educational programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SAS (software)</span> Statistical software

SAS is a statistical software suite developed by SAS Institute for data management, advanced analytics, multivariate analysis, business intelligence, criminal investigation, and predictive analytics. SAS' analytical software is built upon artificial intelligence and utilizes machine learning, deep learning and generative AI to manage and model data. The software is widely used in industries such as finance, insurance, health care and education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cary Academy</span> Private school in Cary, North Carolina

Cary Academy is an independent, coeducational, nonsectarian, college-preparatory secondary school located in Cary, North Carolina. The school emphasizes the use of technology in the classroom, the arts, and foreign exchange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Whitehurst</span> American business executive

James Moon Whitehurst is an American business executive. He has been interim chief executive officer and president of Unity Technologies since October 2023. He was previously the president at IBM, chair of the board and chief executive officer at Red Hat, and chief operating officer at Delta Air Lines. Prior to working at Delta in 2001, he was vice president and director of the Boston Consulting Group and held various management roles at its Chicago, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Atlanta offices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Benioff</span> American businessman (born 1964)

Marc Russell Benioff is an American internet entrepreneur and philanthropist. Benioff is best known as the co-founder, chairman and CEO of the software company Salesforce, as well as being the owner of Time magazine since 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony James Barr</span> American programming language designer, software engineer and inventor

Anthony James Barr, aka Tony Barr or Jim Barr, is an American programming language designer, software engineer and inventor. He is most well known for developing the SAS software suite, used for data management, analytics and artificial intelligence, and for co-founding SAS Institute. His other notable contributions include work on automated lumber yield optimization, and the Automated Classification of Medical Entities (ACME).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Sall</span>

John P. Sall is an American billionaire businessman and computer software developer, who co-founded SAS Institute, an analytics software company, and created the JMP statistical software.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harold Weinbrecht</span> American politician (born 1956)

Harold Weinbrecht is an American computer programmer and politician who has been the mayor of Cary, North Carolina since 2007.

The SAS language is a fourth-generation computer programming language used for statistical analysis, created by Anthony James Barr at North Carolina State University. Its primary applications include data mining and machine learning. The SAS language runs under compilers such as the SAS System that can be used on Microsoft Windows, Linux, UNIX and mainframe computers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonid Mikhelson</span> Russian billionaire businessman

Leonid Viktorovich Mikhelson is a Russian-Israeli billionaire businessman, CEO, chairman and major shareholder of the Russian gas company Novatek.

James Eugene Rogers Jr. was an American businessman and author. He was president and CEO of Duke Energy, the largest electrical utility in the U.S., from April, 2006 until July 1, 2013. He stayed on as Chairman of the Board until retiring the following December. His book, Lighting the World, which explores the issues involved in bringing electricity to over 1.2 billion people on earth who lack it, was published August 25, 2015, by St. Martin's Press. The book asserts that access to electricity should be recognized as a basic human right.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohamed Mansour (businessman)</span> Egyptian businessperson and former politician (born 1948)

Sir Mohamed Mansour is an Egyptian-born British billionaire businessman and former politician. He is the chairman of the Mansour Group, a US$6 billion conglomerate. In October 2024, Forbes estimated his wealth at $3.3 billion. He served as the minister of transportation in Egypt between 2005 and 2009.

Lonnie Poole Jr. is an American businessman and philanthropist who was the founder of Waste Industries, one of the largest waste and recycling companies in the Southeast United States with approximately 2 million service points. Poole is also known as the largest contributor of all time to North Carolina State University.

References

  1. ↑ "Jim Goodnight, Co-Founder & CEO". www.sas.com. Retrieved 2018-12-17.
  2. ↑ "Bloomberg Billionaires Index". Bloomberg L.P. Archived from the original on 7 December 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  3. 1 2 "Jim Goodnight regains status as NC's richest person, toppling Epic Games' Tim Sweeney". WRAL-TV . 4 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 Maney, Kevin (April 21, 2004). "SAS Workers Won When Greed Lost". USA Today. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  5. 1 2 "Goodnight for all". The Irish Times. 16 June 2000. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
  6. ↑ "A good night for numbers". The Charlotte Observer. 27 July 2008.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Official biography, SAS Institute, retrieved December 13, 2012
  8. ↑ Hoyle, Amanda (25 June 2014). "TKE alumni selling fraternity house at N.C. State, listed for $2.6M". Triangle Business Journal.
  9. ↑ Raleigh News & Observer. "Ann and Jim Goodnight." December 31, 2006. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  10. 1 2 Stallard, Michael (June 18, 2010). "Has SAS Chairman Jim Goodnight Cracked the Code of Corporate Culture?". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on May 4, 2011. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
  11. 1 2 Bankert, Ellen; Lee, Mary Dean; Lange, Candice, "SAS Institute: A case on the role of senior business leaders in driving work/life cultural change" (PDF), The Wharton Work/Life Roundtable: A Division of the Wharton Work/Life Integration Project, University of Pennsylvania, SAS Institute has received considerable media attention for the "utopian" environment for which it has become known
  12. ↑ Kaplan, David (January 22, 2010). "SAS: A new no. 1 best employer". Fortune. Archived from the original on November 29, 2011. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
  13. ↑ SAS Institute FDA Intellectual Partnership for Efficient Regulated Research Data Archival and Analyses (PDF), Presented at Duke University, April 12, 2000, retrieved September 28, 2011
  14. ↑ Lohr, Steve (November 21, 2009). "At a Software Powerhouse, the Good Life Is Under Siege". The New York Times. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  15. ↑ SAS corporate timeline, WRAL, March 3, 2011, retrieved October 17, 2011
  16. ↑ Corporate Statistics, SAS Institute, retrieved August 10, 2011
  17. ↑ Buchanan, Leigh (September 2011). "How SAS Continues to Grow". Inc. Magazine. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
  18. ↑ Gordon, Brian (September 28, 2023). "SAS eliminates more positions this week as part of its 2023 staff reduction plan". The News & Observer.
  19. ↑ Hardy, Quentin (June 9, 2011). "SAS-We Spurned IBM, Now to Win". Forbes. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  20. ↑ Shivapriya, N (September 25, 2008). "SAS Steams Along as Unlisted Firms Amid US Financial Chaos". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on May 27, 2012. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  21. ↑ Joel, Kurtzman. "An Interview with Jeffrey Pfeffer". Strategy+Business.
  22. ↑ Fishman, Charles (December 31, 1998). "Sanity Inc". Fast Company. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007.
  23. ↑ Building a Winning Corporate Culture – Jim Goodnight and SAS, HSM Global
  24. ↑ View/Search Fellows of the ASA Archived 2016-06-16 at the Wayback Machine , accessed 2016-10-15.
  25. ↑ Ioannou, Lori (2019-11-04). "Jim Goodnight, the 'Godfather of A.I.,' predicts the future fate of the US workforce". CNBC. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  26. ↑ "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.
  27. ↑ "Jim Goodnight". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  28. ↑ "Great American Business Leaders of the 20th Century: James H. Goodnight". Harvard Business School . Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  29. ↑ Fenn, Donna. "James Goodnight, SAS". Inc. Magazine. Retrieved December 13, 2012.
  30. ↑ SAS. "SAS' Jim Goodnight honored with CEO Great Place to Work® For All Leadership Award". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2020-03-05.
  31. ↑ "Ann Goodnight collects art and North Carolina benefits | Walter Magazine". 31 March 2014. Retrieved 2018-12-17.
  32. 1 2 zonker (2014-10-31). "Natural treasures: The extraordinary collection of Dr. Jim Goodnight". WALTER Magazine. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  33. ↑ "Rock Collection Lines the Walls Of Software Executive's Office". Wall Street Journal. 2003-11-05. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  34. ↑ Hemsoth, Nicole (2012-07-03). "Chips, Stats & Stones: A Morning with SAS CEO Dr. Jim Goodnight". Datanami. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  35. ↑ "Bloomberg Billionaires Index". Bloomberg.com. 2023-10-30. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  36. ↑ Judson, Andie (27 February 2017). "Forbes: Richest person in North Carolina". WCNC. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
  37. ↑ "SAS Institute CEO Jim Goodnight on Building Strong Companies -- and a More Competitive U.S. Workforce". Knowledge at Wharton. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  38. ↑ SAS Institute CEO Jim Goodnight on Building Strong Companies – and a More Competitive U.S. Workforce, January 5, 2011, retrieved December 12, 2012
  39. ↑ "SAS CEO Jim Goodnight: Change NC's pre-K funding to reach more children". NC Chamber. 2019-08-14.
  40. ↑ "Goodnight Scholarships". Goodnight Scholarships. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  41. ↑ "Goodnight Doctoral Fellowship". The Graduate School. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  42. ↑ "Goodnight Educational Foundation - Company Profile and News". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  43. ↑ "Goodnight Foundation Supports NCICU's Science of Reading Initiative – NCICU". 2021-12-03. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  44. ↑ Bill Studenc (2023-03-14). "New professorship in early literacy established with $1.5M from Goodnight Foundation". Western Carolina University. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  45. ↑ "James Goodnight". Inside Philanthropy. 2021-08-18. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  46. ↑ "SAS, Goodnight keep demonstrating the power to do good | WRAL TechWire". wraltechwire.com. 2019-05-02. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  47. ↑ Kowalksi, Emily (2016-11-04). "The Ann and Jim Goodnight Museum Park". North Carolina Museum of Art. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  48. ↑ Intern, Editorial (2019-01-08). "N.C. Museum of History Hosts Foundation Philanthropy Awards". WALTER Magazine. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
  49. ↑ "James Goodnight". Inside Philanthropy. 2021-08-18. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
  50. ↑ "SAS' NEXT MOVE". www.bizjournals.com.
  51. ↑ Barkin, Dan (2023-09-11). "Cary's growth not just due to natural advantages". Business North Carolina. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
  52. ↑ "Citizen Goodnight". Raleigh News and Observer. July 21, 1996. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  53. ↑ "The Umstead Hotel, Umstead Spa, And Herons Offer Five Star Luxury In The Triangle". The Raleigh Telegram. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  54. ↑ "Ann Goodnight planning upscale restaurant near hotel". Triangle Business Journal. Retrieved 7 February 2013.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.