Brøderbund Software Inc.

Brøderbund was founded by Doug and Gary Carlston in 1980, when the personal computer software industry was still in its infancy. The brothers established the company in order to market Galactic Empire and Galactic Trader, computer game programs Doug had written in his spare time when he wasn't practicing law.

Doug's (Douglas Carlston) first exposure to computers came in the 1960s, when he was working as a programmer at Harvard's Aiken Computation laboratory. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard and went on to study economics at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies before entering Harvard Law School, where he received his JD. Following the commercial success of his first two games, Galactic Empire and Galactic Trader, Carlston quit the practice of law to devote his energies to programming.

By the summer of 1980, after forming an alliance with the Japanese software house StarCraft, the company was able to market a substantial line of home entertainment products. Before the end of its third year, Brøderbund had moved from Eugene, Oregon, to California's Marin County, had grown to more than 40 employees and was selling millions of dollars' worth of software annually.

Cathy Carlston, Doug and Gary's sister, joined the company in 1981. Until her departure in 1989, she served as vice president of educational market planning and was instrumental in formulating Brøderbund's marketing efforts to schools. Gary Carlston, the firm's first CEO, also left in 1989 to pursue other interests. In 1996, Joe Durrett joined the company as CEO, bringing with him a strong tenure as president and COO of ADVO, Inc. and more than two decades in senior marketing and sales at Kraft General Foods.

William McDonagh, who had been the company's CFO, was named president and chief operating officer in 1994. Today, Doug Carlston is still actively involved in the company and serves as Chairman of the Board. Although the company now employs about 1140 employees (including the Banner Blue and Parsons Technology divisions), Carlston and McDonagh still manage to retain a corporate culture that allows plenty of room for individuality and creativity at any level. It's still a company where executives can be found eating lunch with groups everyday in the cafeteria and where each Friday concludes with a company-wide meeting to trade ideas and socialize.