CV Shoutout: CAD to the Bone

Last week I mentioned that Computervision (my alma mater, work-wise), also known as CV, used the tagline “Known by the companies we keep”. That caused some ex-CVers to reach out — thank you! It’s been great walking down memory lane. There are a surprising number of us still in the industry; I do think this stuff gets in your blood. One thing we reminisced about was the over-the-top nature of life at CV when times were good. For example, we rented out an amusement park for a day so that employees and their families could cavort. With food. And, we think, beer. Then there was the VP who flew to work in his own helicopters and the CEO who had a Penske race car, painted just like Mr. Penske’s. A sales team that had a tiny alligator in a fish tank to commemorate a Florida gathering; there were limos and fancy dinners and late nights. We also had chocolate chip cookie aroma, as one CEO’s secretary liked to bake when under stress. Was it the catering kitchen off one of the fancy conference rooms? No matter. It smelled heavenly. And then there’s this: (If you can’t see it, go here.) Was that fun or what? This was for a sales meeting and not meant to be customer-facing. But it was so … us: loud, tough, a bit arrogant and convinced of our own superiority, splashing customer names around, truly CAD to the Bone. CAD/CAM do or die. Hah! I know I’ve got the cassette tape somewhere, and possibly a T-shirt. Were there jackets? Oh, I hope so — Not sure if you caught it but of the competitors Bob listed at around 5:50 only PTC and Intergraph are still standing, and only PTC is still going it alone. But they bought CV in the 1990s, so perhaps it all makes sense somehow … If you have time, also take a look at I’m the Only One, for a sales meeting in 1996. Not as over-the-top but dynamite lip synching. The videos companies produce these days are so serious, focusing on solving the world’s big problems; that’s important, but not nearly as much fun. What are you going to create this week that will put a smile on someone’s face in 20 years? Get cracking!