Business Spotlight: Autodesk

111 McGinnis Parkway, San Rafael

(415) 507-5000, http://usa.autodesk.com/

What do they offer?

Autodesk has their sorftware in the hands of more than 10 million professionals globally, allowing architects, designers, engineers, manufacturers and digital artists to create digital models of their projects. The company provides software that enables a faster, more efficient design process. Autodesk's products address all phases of the design process, from 2D design to 3D modeling, digital prototyping to building information modeling, Oscar-winning visual effects to model-based mapping. The last 16 Oscar winners for Best Visual Effects have all used Autodesk software.

Who are they?

Carl Bass is president and chief executive officer of Autodesk, Inc. Formerly he was Autodesk’s chief operating officer, responsible for worldwide sales, marketing and product development. Bass co-founded Ithaca Software, the developers of HOOPS, which was acquired by Autodesk in 1993. Bass serves on the Board of Directors of Autodesk, the Art Center College of Design and the Rocky Mountain Institute.  He is also a member of the Executive Advisory Boards of Cornell Computing and Information Science and UC Berkeley School of Information.  He previously served on the boards of McAfee, Powerlight and Serena Software. He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Cornell University.

How long have they been there?

Autodesk was founded in 1982 by John Walker and twelve others. In the same year the computer was named Time magazine’s Man of the Year, Autodesk and its handful of employees burst onto the scene with the introduction of AutoCAD software.  

Why are they in our Business Spotlight?

In addition to being a local company with global reach, Autodesk is active in supporting vital community programs. 

Established in 1989, the Autodesk Community Relations program offers assistance to qualifying nonprofit organizations through monetary donations, in-kind contributions and volunteerism. To date, they have donated over $200,000 to the San Francisco Bay Area, and over $90,000 to specific San Rafael Charities, including the Marin Literacy Program, WildCare, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Marin Bicycle Coalition and Center for Domestic Peace. They have also approved over a $1.1 million in grants to qualifying nonprofits the world over, and their employees have logged 5,000 hours of community service.