Founded in 1985 in an Iowa farmhouse, Gateway has grown into one of America's best known brands with millions of satisfied customers. Starting with a $10,000 loan guaranteed by his grandmother, a rented computer and a three-page business plan, Ted Waitt turned Gateway into a revolutionary company whose innovations helped shape the technology industry.
The company - previously called Gateway 2000 - received national acclaim in 1991 when it introduced its distinctive cow-spotted boxes, a tribute to its farm heritage. In 1993, it cracked the Fortune 500 and went public, trading on the NASDAQ before moving to the New York Stock Exchange in 1997. The following year, Gateway shifted its headquarters from North Sioux City, South Dakota to the San Diego area.
Gateway is now the third largest PC company in the U.S. and among the top ten worldwide. The company's value-based eMachines brand is sold exclusively by leading retailers worldwide, while the premium Gateway line is available at major retailers, over the phone and web, and through its direct sales force.
Gateway always has been devoted to treating customers with respect and decency while focusing on service, quality and value. It consistently ranks among the industry's top companies in customer loyalty, an accomplishment the company and its employees prize highly.
Gateway, since its earliest days, has pioneered numerous industry trends and practices. It was the first PC company to offer systems with color monitors as standard, the first to offer a standard three-year warranty, and the first to commercially explore convergence of the PC and television. It was one of the nation's early "bricks and clicks" retailers, and it was among the first direct retailers to sell its own branded consumer electronics with the launch of the highly successful Gateway? plasma TV and digital display.
As Gateway pushes into new frontiers, it remains dedicated to its original objective of helping people improve their lives through technology.
Employees:
As of January 2006, Gateway has approximately 1,800 employees.
Sales Channels:
The company's value-based eMachines brand is sold exclusively by leading retailers worldwide.
Gateway products are available through 1-800-GATEWAY
Gateway products are also sold through leading retailers and partners in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Japan.
The company's Professional segment sells PCs, servers and services to education, government and mid-enterprise customers through its direct sales force and over the phone and web.
Products:
Computers
Electronics
Accessories
Software
Digital TVs
Shareholder Highlights:
Shares outstanding: 372 million
Number of shareholders: 120,000+
Listing: NYSE since May 1997 after joining NASDAQ in December 1993
Stock splits: Two 2-for-1 splits, on June 16, 1997 and Sept. 7, 1999
Executive Management Team:
Ed Coleman, Chief Executive Officer
Bart Brown, Senior Vice President, Marketing
James Burdick, Senior Vice President, Professional and Consumer Direct
Bob Davidson, Senior Vice President, U.S. Retail
Gary Elsasser, Vice President, Products
Ed Fisher, Senior Vice President, International
John Goldsberry, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
Chuck May, Senior Vice President, Product Planning-Retail
Bruce Riggs, Senior Vice President, Operations and Customer Care
Lazane Smith, Senior Vice President, Human Resources
Mike Tyler, Senior Vice President, Chief Legal and Administrative Officer
Neal West, Senior Vice President, Corporate Controller
Contact Details:
Gateway, Inc.
7565 Irvine Center Drive
Irvine, CA 92618
Phone: 949 471 7000
Fax: 949 471 7041
Website:
http://www.gateway.com/index.shtml