Great Plains Software
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Accounting software |
| Founded | 1981 |
| Founder | Joseph Larson |
| Defunct | 2001 |
| Fate | Acquired by Microsoft |
| Headquarters | Fargo, North Dakota , United States |
Key people | Doug Burgum (President) |
Number of employees | 2200 (2001) |
Great Plains Software, Inc. was a company headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota that specialized in accounting software tailored for small and mid-sized enterprises. Established in 1981, it became a publicly traded company in 1997 before being acquired by Microsoft in 2001. Prior to this acquisition, the firm employed close to 2,200 individuals.
History
Joseph Larson founded the company in 1981 and served as its inaugural president. In 1983, Doug Burgum, who would later become Governor of North Dakota and United States Secretary of the Interior, joined as an investor and provided initial funding. By early 1984, Burgum had purchased the stakes of other shareholders and assumed the role of president, while Larson continued as a board member until the company's purchase.
The workforce expanded to roughly 170 employees by 1987 and increased further to about 290 by 1989. The company reported annual revenue near $300 million and held its initial public offering in 1997, utilizing the Internet to grow beyond its North Dakota base. In 1999, it acquired Match Data Systems, a development firm located in the Philippines. After undergoing several rounds of layoffs, Great Plains announced its $1.1 billion sale to Microsoft in 2000, with the transaction finalized in 2001.
In 2005, its software was rebranded under the name "Microsoft Dynamics GP," and by 2016, it was incorporated into the Microsoft Dynamics 365 suite.
External links
- Official website (archived August 2000)