A company video (part 3 of 3) from 1988, this segment shows a lot of footage of the campus, new buildings and expanded manufacturing facilities. It covers the period when Compaq introduced the fastest 286 and later (the industry’s first) 386 based computers.
While the rest of the personal computer industry fell into a prolonged slump, Compaq’s stock went public and their sales continued to rise at a phenomenal pace, reaching a billion dollars in yearly sales faster than any other corporation in US history. A record that stands to this day.
BACKGROUND ON THE VIDEO:
When Compaq employees were originally shown this video, a huge company meeting was held in a Houston mega-church sanctuary because Compaq did not have an auditorium big enough. The entire company came to a virtual standstill as a fleet of chartered buses carried the employees to this meeting. Buses that were full of curious rank-and-file employees who had only been told there was to be “some major announcement.” We all figured it was good news, but no one knew if it was to be a new product, a new factory, maybe a new building. Even the usually reliable administrators’ gossip network was clueless.
Once the last busload had been seated, the lights dimmed and the purpose of the meeting was soon revealed. Rod Canion stepped up to the pulpit like a soft spoken church deacon and announced to the company that Compaq had reached OVER a billion dollars in yearly revenue in 1987 AND had done it faster than any corporation in US history! When the standing ovation finally died down, we were shown this video on a giant screen.
There is no way to describe the manic intensity in that auditorium on that magic day. It was the largest pep rally in Texas with the normally shy Rod Canion at the center, basking in the spotlight and yet sharing the credit with all of us, his employees, making us feel like we were all a vital part of the most successful team in US corporate history!
And… we were.
