Technology >> CEO Interviews >> January 1, 2001
RON HARRIS is the President & CEO of Pervasive Software Inc. Mr. Harris
has been involved in successful entrepreneurial ventures for over a
decade. In 1994, Mr. Harris secured venture financing and spearheaded
the acquisition of the database product division from Novell, Inc. and
established Pervasive Software (NASDAQ: PVSW). He has served as
Pervasive's President & CEO since its inception. In 1996, Pervasive was
recognized as 'The Fastest Growing Company in Austin' and one of the Top
100 fastest growing companies in the US. Mr. Harris orchestrated
Pervasive's IPO in 1997 and secondary offering in 1999, which together
grossed over $60 million for the company and its shareholders. In 1998,
Pervasive was recognized as one of the 'Data Management 100' by Data
Management Review for its significant influence on data and information
management trends in the industry. In 1999, Forbes ASAP Magazine ranked
Pervasive number three on its annual list of the top 100 most dynamic
software companies. Today, Pervasive is a leading, global supplier of
data management products and services. Prior to starting Pervasive
Software, Mr. Harris was instrumental in the successful start of Citrix
Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CTXS) of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. At Citrix, he
served as Product Group Vice President in charge of Engineering,
Marketing, and Customer Service. Today Citrix is the worldwide leader in
thin client/server computing. In 1998, Ernst & Young named Mr. Harris
its 'Austin Entrepreneur of the Year' in an event co-sponsored by NASDAQ
and USA Today. He also serves as a member of the Federal Reserve Board
and as a member of the Board of Directors for young, high tech start-up
companies including Journee Software and Exterprise. He is a member of
the Curriculum Advisory Board for the Graduate School of Business at the
University of Texas and the Visiting Committee for the Department of
Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Texas. He also
serves as the representative to the University of Texas for the CEO Peer
Group of the Austin Software Council. Mr. Harris has a BS in Computer
Science from Vanderbilt University and an MBA with honors from the
University of Texas. Profile
Mr. Harris: Pervasive is almost seven years old. We got our start by
acquiring Novell's database division in 1994, building a
