Mr. Richard (Rick) L. Crandall

A pioneer in the Software Services Industry, he received a BS in Electrical Engineering, a BS in Mathematics, and an MS in Industrial Engineering from The University of Michigan. In 1966, he founded Comshare, Inc., which grew to become a publicly held, $130 million international market leader in decision support applications and executive information systems software. The company originated as a pioneer of computer timesharing. During his 24-year tenure as Comshare's CEO, he led the company through several highly publicized transitions in response to the rapid market changes characteristic of the computer industry. Comshare was one of the few early timesharing firms to make a complete and successful transition to software products, while remaining an independent company. In 1994, he left his position at Comshare and formed the Enterprise Software Roundtable, consisting of the CEOs of the industry's top 40 software firms focusing on enterprise software (and generating more than $100 billion sales in 2003). He continues as Chairman of the Roundtable. During the period 1995 – 2003, he helped create Giga Information Group, one of the nation's premier information technology research and advisory firms, which serves Fortune 1000 clientele. He was Chairman of Giga from 2002-2003, when it was sold to Forrester Research. He presently serves as the software and services advisor to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and assists its efforts in areas of legal reform and advocacy in Federal and State government actions that affect the technology industries in the U.S. Among his many other industry honors is the ICP Business Software Review listing as "One of the 5 Leading Pioneers of the Software Services Industry" in its commemorative issue celebrating the 25th anniversary of the software industry. He also received the 1992 Outstanding Entrepreneur Award from The University of Michigan Business School and Harvard Business School Alumni groups and served on the National Advisory Board to The University of Michigan College of Engineering and Computer Science. He was also one of the four Founders of Arbor Partners and is on the Boards of Directors of Diebold (DBD); Novell (NOVL), the Dreman/Claymore Dividend and Income Fund, and several private companies, including ChannelNet (multi-channel ecommerce software), ITRACS (network security software) and Illinois Energy Partners, as well as on the Executive Advisory Board to Beacon IT, Japan's largest enterprise software company. He also served as Chairman of ITAA, the association for the computer software and services industry and was on the Board for more than 20 years, chairing its strategic planning committee for 12 years.