Jonathan Schmidt

VP of Advanced Product Development at Datapoint Corporation, Schmidt led the core group that created the industry's first commercial LAN (ARCNET).

Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, at the age of eight Schmidt contracted polio. While spending time in an iron lung, he decided to study radio if he ever got out. When he did, he became a ham radio operator, receiving his license in 1953; he also developed an interest in teletype.

He worked with the hospital ship Hope while in college, and after receiving his B.A. degree in Mathematics he joined them as a radio technician in Ecuador, Peru, and then West Africa. He later reenrolled at the University of Michigan and received his Master's degree in Mathematics. Schmidt was working on his Ph.D. when in 1966 he joined Vic Poor as an engineer in Frederick, Maryland at Frederick Electronics, where he worked on teletype switching and related products.

In 1969 Plantronics purchased Frederick Electronics, and Schmidt, along with Vic Poor and Harry Pyle, went to San Antonio where they joined Computer Terminal Corporation. They helped design the Datapoint 2200, an extremely successful computer terminal. The company later became Datapoint Corporation. He has served as Vice President of Advanced Product Development from 1969–1985, and his core group created the industry's first commercial LAN (ARCNET) and numerous products that supported a business with 10,000 employees worldwide.

In 1985, Schmidt co-founded and has served as Executive Vice-President, Business Development of Performance Technology (PerfTech). His technical leadership earned him Inc. Magazine's "Entrepreneur of the Year" Award. He has gone on to serve as a strategist and a Board member of high-tech companies, spoken frequently at conferences, and authored many technology patents.