James Joseph Truchard (born June 25, 1943, in
Austin County, Texas
Austin County is a rural, agricultural dominated county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,167. Its seat is Bellville. The county and region was settled primarily by German emigrants in the 1800s.
Austin ...
) is an
American billionaire,
electrical engineer, and a businessman who is the co-founder and former
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
and
CEO of
National Instruments
National Instruments Corporation, doing business as NI, is an American multinational company with international operation. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, it is a producer of automated test equipment and virtual instrumentation software. C ...
, a company producing automated test equipment and virtual instrumentation software. Truchard is a member of the
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of ...
and the
Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences or ''Kungliga Ingenjörsvetenskapsakademien'' (IVA), founded on 24 October 1919 by King Gustaf V, is one of the royal academies in Sweden. The academy is an independent organisation, which prom ...
.
Biography
Truchard was born June 25, 1943, in
Austin County, Texas
Austin County is a rural, agricultural dominated county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,167. Its seat is Bellville. The county and region was settled primarily by German emigrants in the 1800s.
Austin ...
, the fourth of seven children born to Joe Truchard and Lillie Schneider. Truchard earned a
B.S.
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...
and an
M.S.
A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...
in
physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...
, and a
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
in
electrical engineering from the
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...
. Following his graduation, Truchard worked as managing director of the acoustical measurements division at the U.T. Applied Research Laboratories.
Founding a company
After two years of working for U.T., Truchard realized that there was little room for promotion unless one of his coworkers retired. As he often remarks, he "didn't see a job I wanted
n Austin- so I created one!"
Working with colleagues Jeff Kodosky and Bill Nowlin, Truchard was part of a project conducting research for the
U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
that allowed them to use early computer technology to collect and analyze data. Frustrated with the inefficient data collection methods they were using, the three decided to create a product that would enable their task to be done more easily. In 1976, working in the garage at Truchard's home, the three founded
National Instruments
National Instruments Corporation, doing business as NI, is an American multinational company with international operation. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, it is a producer of automated test equipment and virtual instrumentation software. C ...
and began designing an interface board.
The group hired their first employee, Kim Harrison-Hoson in 1977 to process orders and deal with customers.
Truchard's job at UT had provided him with some experience in developing products but not with managing employees or a business, so he read many books on the business and management principles in order to learn how to run a company.
In 1979, as they reached $300,000 in sales, Truchard was able to leave his job at UT to concentrate on his new company full-time.
In 1986, in conjunction with Kodosky, Truchard played a pivotal role in the development of the
LabVIEW
Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench (LabVIEW) is a system-design platform and development environment for a visual programming language from National Instruments.
The graphical language is named "G"; not to be confused with G-c ...
graphical development software, which allows scientists to quickly build solutions for their measurement and automation needs. The graphical programming interface that LabVIEW provided revolutionized the way engineers and scientists worked.
National Instruments
After the release of LabVIEW, the company's future seemed secured. Under Truchard's leadership, NI has seen growth and record revenue in 35 of its 37 years (except 2001 and 2009). With the goal of balancing the success of customers, employees, shareholders, and suppliers, Truchard has led with a conservative, deliberate approach. The company focuses on innovation, growth, and expansion and prizes innovation and entrepreneurship, and has been named as one of the ''
Fortune'' "100 Best Companies to Work For" for fourteen consecutive years (2000–2013).
Affectionately known to his employees as "Dr. T", Truchard insists that he and others in the management structure at NI remain accessible to their employees.
Despite his stature as the sole CEO in the company's history, Truchard is still an approachable and down-to-earth individual. He still drives an old pick up truck to work, where he does not have an assigned parking space. Unless he is scheduled to attend an external business meeting, Truchard wears denim jeans to work every day, and sits in a cubicle in the middle of the 8th floor, where employees are free to walk up and discuss any issues they might have.
On January 1, 2017, Truchard retired as president, CEO, and cofounder. He continues to hold his position as chairman of the board.
Professional activities and recognition
Shortly after the development of LabVIEW, in 1987 Truchard received one of the first Texas High Technology Entrepreneur awards. Twelve years later he was awarded a Texas High Technology Master Entrepreneur of the Year honor. He was named one of the nation's 50 Best CEOs in three consecutive years by ''Worth'' Magazine. In 2002, Truchard was inducted into the Electronic Design Engineering Hall of Fame, and the following year he was elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences. He has also been named a University of Texas Distinguished Engineering Graduate.
In 2007, Truchard was elected as a member into the
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of ...
for creating 'virtual instrumentation,' which enabled the rapid development of customized measurement systems in industry, academia, and classrooms.
Truchard is a member and former chairman of the Engineering Foundation Advisory Council, and is a member of the University of Texas Chancellor's Council. He previously served on the UT Electrical and Computer Engineering Visiting Committee, and was a founding member of the Austin Software Council.
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Rick Perry appointed Truchard to the state's Advisory Council on the Digital Economy and invited Truchard to chair the Texas Science, Technology, and Math Industry Advisory Council, which seeks to reverse the declining interest of young people in technical careers.
Personal life
Truchard lives in
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
in a house overlooking
Lake Austin
Lake Austin, formerly Lake McDonald, is a water reservoir on the Colorado River in Austin, Texas. The reservoir was formed in 1939 by the construction of Tom Miller Dam by the Lower Colorado River Authority. Lake Austin is one of the seven Hi ...
. He had four children with his wife Lee, who died in 2012 after prolonged illness. In August 2015 he married Marci Truchard.
As of March 2018, he is worth an estimated $1.1 billion.
Truchard is heavily invested in the advancement and curing of Alzheimer's disease and funds projects, such as the Oskar Fischer Project, to do so.
References
External links
National Instruments Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Truchard, James
1943 births
American chief executives
American inventors
Living people
People from Austin, Texas
Cockrell School of Engineering alumni
American billionaires
American electrical engineers
Control theorists