[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 86 (Wednesday, June 15, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1107-E1108]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   100 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES (IBM) 
                              CORPORATION

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TOM REED

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 15, 2011

  Mr. REED. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 100 year 
anniversary of the International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation. 
For the last century, IBM has been on the cutting edge of collecting, 
quantifying and analyzing information and has served as a bright 
example of American ingenuity. In 2010 alone, IBM received 5,896 U.S. 
patents, the 18th consecutive year it has topped the list of the 
world's most inventive company.
  In addition to IBM's long history of technological innovations and 
computing, the Corporation has a rich history of community service, 
which needs to be recognized. Thomas Watson founded IBM with the 
purpose of not only attaining profits, but also with the goal of 
creating a socially responsible organization that aided its local 
community. Through its impressive contributions, I believe IBM has 
honored the goals set out by Mr. Watson.
  For example, to celebrate their centennial, members of IBM's staff 
donated more than 2.5 million hours of skills based volunteering in 
more than 120 countries over the past several months. More 
astoundingly, IBM recently surpassed more than thirteen million hours 
of service to our country and the world. In addition to skills-based 
donations, IBM has also delivered hundreds of new service grants to 
support employees' volunteer activities.
  IBM provides an exceptional model of a corporation that exemplifies 
what it means to be a civically responsible organization, and I applaud 
how IBM has chosen to celebrate their Centennial.
  I'm proud to have IBM headquartered in my home State of New York. I 
look forward to witnessing the technological innovations and 
volunteerism that I know will continue to flow from IBM in their next 
100 years of business.

            [From Democrat and Chronicle.com, June 15, 2011]

        After 100 Years, Innovation Remains Key to IBM's Success

                          (By Sarah Bradshaw)

       Cellphone 3-D imaging. Batteries powered by air. Reusing 
     supercomputer-generated heat to power air conditioners.
       These aren't the stuff of science fiction, but the 
     innovations that International Business Machines Corp.--which 
     celebrates its 100th anniversary Thursday--is aiming for as 
     it begins its second century.
       The Westchester County-based provider of computer services 
     received 5,896 U.S. patents in 2010, marking the 18th 
     consecutive year it topped the list of the world's most 
     inventive companies.
       This is the company whose engineers and scientists 
     developed many of the building blocks of modern information 
     technology, including the memory chip, the mainframe, the 
     personal computer and even new fields of mathematics.
       IBM is a notable part of the Rochester-area economy, 
     operating a 190,000-square-foot data center in Greece that 
     employs 550 people at the Canal Ponds Business Park. The 
     company is in the midst of a $40 million upgrade of that 
     facility over the next couple of years.
       IBM also has given more than $1.75 million over the past 
     decade to the University of Rochester and nearly $500,000 to 
     Rochester Institute of Technology in the form of IBM Faculty 
     Awards and Shared University Research Awards. In 2008, IBM 
     also opened a software Innovation and Collaboration Lab at 
     RIT.
       Research and development has been a major component of IBM. 
     The company spent $5.8 billion on R&D in 2009, more than 
     Apple Inc., Cisco Systems Inc. or GoogleInc. Last year, it 
     raised its R&D spending to $6 billion.

[[Page E1108]]

       In its 100-year history, IBM's transformations and 
     technological breakthroughs have been significant. First came 
     time clocks and typewriters, and eventually supercomputers 
     that have helped Russian railways move freight and 
     passengers, prevented tax fraud in the United States and 
     monitored the health of premature babies in Toronto.
       On April 7, 1964, then-Chairman Thomas J. Watson Jr. 
     introduced a new generation of computing equipment--the 
     System/360--that would revolutionize the way the world 
     processed information.
       Watson, son of legendary IBM leader Thomas J. Watson Sr., 
     called the event the most important product announcement in 
     company history. ``The result will be more computer 
     productivity at a lower cost than ever before,'' he said.
       System/360 succeeded IBM's earlier 700 series, which did 
     not have hard drive space but instead used magnetic tape as 
     memory. The 700 series was used for specific purposes, while 
     System/360 were general purpose computers with 
     interchangeable parts and software.
       System/360 was a $5 billion bet to create something 
     unprecedented, said Bernie Meyerson, vice president for 
     innovation at IBM. ``If System/360 had failed, there's a high 
     probability that there wouldn't be an IBM,'' he said.
       But the gamble paid off. In 1989, 25 years after Watson 
     introduced it, products based on System/360's architecture 
     accounted for more than half the company's revenue.
       Pat Meaney is a senior technical staff member at IBM in 
     Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, with 25 years of experience at 
     Big Blue, which means he has seen his fair share of changes 
     in technology.
       ``It's amazing how many changes happened during my 
     career,'' said Meaney, 47. ``When I look back, there was 
     trepidation, but they turned out good.''
       Meaney was encouraged to explore his interests within the 
     corporation. His duties today include working on the 
     reliability of the System Z mainframe memory. In 1986, after 
     graduating from Clarkson University, he was hired by IBM as a 
     logic designer, and focused on frequency timing. His interest 
     quickly became how to make sure the machine never goes down.
       ``It's always exciting,'' he said. ``If you are going to 
     work 40-plus hours a week, make sure it's something you like 
     to do.''
       Meaney has submitted 60 patents since 1995, with 40 
     approved patents and is a member of the patent review board.
       He said that for the next generation of IBMers, ``The thing 
     to look at is the trends technology is taking. As you look to 
     the future, there are always things that look like 
     roadblocks. They look like they will hinder us, but we 
     challenge ourselves to get around them.''


                              The builder

       Thomas J. Watson Sr., the legendary and controversial 
     president of IBM from 1914 to 1956, oversaw the company's 
     growth into an international force. He had strong ties to 
     upstate. Born in Campbell, Steuben County, he worked in 
     Painted Post, Buffalo and Rochester. While in Rochester, 
     starting in 1900, he was a salesman for National Cash 
     Register, using ruthless tactics against competitors and 
     making such an impression on corporate headquarters in 
     Dayton, Ohio, that he was transferred there.
       In 1914, Watson was brought in to run the Computing-
     Tabulating-Recording Co. in New York City, three years after 
     its founding. In 1924, it was renamed IBM.

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