[ electronic beeping ] >> Announcer on TV: The sounds of progress are distinct as our highly diversified industries lead the way into your world of tomorrow.

>> WE WANTED TO BUILD ELECTRONIC INSTRUMENTS, PARTICULARLY OSCILLOSCOPES.

WE JUST DID THE BEST WE COULD, AND THAT WAS USUALLY FAIRLY GOOD.

>> Narrator: IN THE FALL OF 2007, AN ELECTRONICS PRODIGY BORN AND BRED IN OREGON WAS SOLD TO AN EAST COAST CONGLOMERATE.

FOR MANY, IT MARKED THE END OF AN ERA.

>> EVERYTHING WE DID WAS STATE-OF-THE-ART, WHETHER IT WAS MEDICAL PRODUCTS, OSCILLOSCOPES, YOU NAME IT.

>> WHEN I STARTED, EVERYTHING -- EVERY PRODUCT THAT THEY MADE WAS SOLD.

>> TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHO YOU ARE, BILL?

>> Narrator: EVERY YEAR, TEKTRONIX RETIREES GATHER TO CELEBRATE A UNIQUE COMPANY THEY HELPED BUILD.

>> I THINK TEK IN THE EARLY '60s WAS THE FINEST PLACE IN THE WORLD TO WORK.

>> THE SPIRIT BEHIND TEKTRONIX ITSELF WAS FRIENDSHIP AND WORK TOGETHER.

>> IT WAS EXCITING, BECAUSE THERE WAS SOMETHING NEW GOING ON ALL THE TIME.

IT WAS GROWING LIKE MAD.

[ ?

?? ]

>> Narrator: FOUNDED IN 1946, TEKTRONIX BUILD THE SINGLE MOST POWERFUL PIECE OF ELECTRONIC TEST EQUIPMENT IN THE WORLD.

>> TEK SCOPES MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR THE ADVENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS, TRIPS TO THE MOON.

>> THE OSCILLOSCOPES THAT TEK MADE CONTRIBUTED TO THE COMPUTER INDUSTRY, TO THE SEMICONDUCTOR INDUSTRY, TO THE TELEVISION INDUSTRY.

ALL OF HIGH-TECH ELECTRONICS WAS SPURRED ONWARD BY FASTER AND BETTER MEASUREMENT EQUIPMENT.

>> HOWARD VOLLUM AND JACK MURDOCK HAD AN IDEA THAT REALLY CHANGED THE WAY THAT THIS EQUIPMENT WAS BUILT, AND THEY WERE REVOLUTIONARY THEMSELVES AT THE RIGHT PLACE, AT THE RIGHT TIME, WITH THE RIGHT IDEA.

>> Narrator: THE FOUNDERS BUILT A NEW KIND OF COMPANY, TOO, WHERE EMPLOYEES CHECKED RIGID RULES AT THE DOOR.

>> AND THEY CAME TO AN ENVIRONMENT THAT ENCOURAGED LEARNING, ENCOURAGED EXPERIMENTATION, ENCOURAGED SEEKING EXCELLENCE.

>> THIS WAS A WHOLE NEW PHILOSOPHY, I THINK, OF HOW TO MANAGE PEOPLE AND HAVE A COMPANY.

>> Narrator: TEKTRONIX WOULD GROW INTO OREGON'S LARGEST PRIVATE EMPLOYER AND SPAWNED A DENSE SILICON FOREST WHERE TIMBER ONCE RULED.

>> WE COULD SEE TEKTRONIX CHANGING THE WORLD AROUND US, AND TEKTRONIX'S GENETIC MATERIAL IS SPREAD ALL AROUND HERE, BECAUSE SO MANY OF THESE ELECTRONIC COMPANIES, THEY ARE SPIN-OFFS FROM TEKTRONIX.

>> Announcer on TV: But more than any other thing, the Tektronix spirit is the spirit of the people.

>> WE WERE THE CHAMPIONS.

WE WERE ON -- WE WERE THE KING OF THE HILLS.

IF YOU WANTED A GOOD OSCILLOSCOPE, YOU CAME TO TEK.

THERE WAS NO PLACE ELSE TO GO.

>> FUNDING FOR OREGON EXPERIENCE IS PROVIDED BY...

THANK YOU.

[ big band music playing ] >> Narrator: V-J DAY, 1945.

THE WAR WAS OVER, AND MEN AND WOMEN ACROSS AMERICA CELEBRATED.

THOUSANDS OF SERVICEMEN WERE COMING HOME EAGER TO BUILD NEW CAREERS.

>> YOU HAD PEOPLE WHO WORKED ON RADAR, YOU HAD PEOPLE WHO WERE RADIO OPERATORS AND PEOPLE IN OTHER KINDS OF ELECTRONICS-RELATED POSITIONS, IN THE SIGNAL CORPS ON SHIPS AND PLANES AND DEFENSE LABORATORIES.

THE OPPORTUNITIES TO GET INVOLVED IN A PROFITABLE VENTURE ACROSS A BROAD RANGE OF ELECTRONICS-RELATED FIELDS WAS HUGE.

>> Narrator: PRIOR TO WORLD WAR II, ELECTRONICS PRETTY MUCH MEANT RADIO, AND PORTLAND WAS ALREADY A WELL-KNOWN RESEARCH HUB.

BY THE EARLY 1930s, THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE HAD ESTABLISHED A LOCAL RADIO LABORATORY TO DEVELOP WAYS TO LINK REMOTE FIRE TOWERS AND RANGER STATIONS.

>> WHAT THEY WANTED WAS INSTANT COMMUNICATION, AND AS A RESULT, THEY BECAME A LITTLE MECCA FOR THAT KIND OF RESEARCH.

>> Narrator: THE LAB ATTRACTED YOUNG AND TALENTED ENGINEERS, INCLUDING A SHY, SOFT-SPOKEN MAN NAMED HOWARD VOLLUM.

HE'D WORKED HIS WAY THROUGH REED COLLEGE REPAIRING RADIOS, AND IN 1936, HE WAS EAGER TO PUT HIS NEW PHYSICS DEGREE TO WORK.

>> THE FIRST JOB THAT I GOT WAS BUILDING PORTABLE RADIO TRANSMITTERS AND RECEIVERS FOR BOTH THE STATE FOREST SERVICE AND FOR THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE.

AND THEY WERE THE LEADING MAKER OF THOSE THINGS IN THE COUNTRY.

>> Narrator: ANOTHER YOUNG OREGONIAN, JACK MURDOCK, WAS EXCITED ABOUT RADIO, TOO.

AT FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL, HE LIVED AND BREATHED ELECTRONICS AND WROTE HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY AT 16.

"I BELIEVE THAT THE POSSIBILITIES OF RADIO ARE UNLIMITED," HE PREDICTED, "AND THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE HAVE NO IDEA OF WHAT RADIO'S FUTURE HOLDS FOR US."

AFTER GRADUATING IN 1935, MURDOCK CHOSE TO OPEN HIS OWN RADIO REPAIR AND APPLIANCE SHOP IN SOUTHEAST PORTLAND RATHER THAN PURSUE COLLEGE.

>> I HAD HEARD ABOUT JACK A NUMBER OF TIMES AND WHAT A NICE OPERATION HE HAD, SO I WENT OUT TO SEE HIM, AND WE TALKED AND WE AGREED THAT AFTER A WHILE THAT I SHOULD DO THEIR RADIO SERVICE.

OH, JACK WAS A SUPER SALESMAN.

HE ALWAYS LISTENED TO PEOPLE.

PEOPLE LIKED HIM.

>> Narrator: IN 1940, HOWARD VOLLUM WAS DRAFTED.

HE SERVED IN THE ARMY SIGNAL CORPS AND WAS DISPATCHED TO ENGLAND, WHERE HE HELPED DEVELOP HIGH-PERFORMANCE RADAR.

JACK MURDOCK JOINED THE COAST GUARD AND WAS ASSIGNED TO RADIO MAINTENANCE IN SEATTLE.

THERE HE MET FELLOW COASTIE AND RADIO MAN MILES TIPPERY.

AS THE WAR WOUND DOWN, TALK OF LAUNCHING A BUSINESS TOGETHER ESCALATED.

>> THEY HAD BOTH HAD REPAIR SHOPS OF THEIR OWN AND SALES SHOPS.

JACK HAD ONE ON FOSTER ROAD IN PORTLAND, AND MILES IN CASTLE ROCK, WASHINGTON.

AND HOWARD SAID THAT HE HAD SOME IDEAS AND WANTED TO JOIN THEM.

>> WE, OF COURSE, CORRESPONDED DURING THE WAR AND WE'D TALKED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF MANUFACTURING INSTRUMENTS.

WE GOT TALKING ABOUT THEN MORE SERIOUSLY ABOUT WHAT WE WERE GOING TO DO, BECAUSE EVERYBODY HAD TO START OVER AGAIN.

>> Narrator: THEY DIDN'T WASTE ANY TIME.

IN DECEMBER 1945, JACK MURDOCK, HOWARD VOLLUM, MILES TIPPERY, AND JACK'S ACCOUNTANT FRIEND GLENN McDOWELL SIGNED INCORPORATION PAPERS.

THEY NAMED THEIR COMPANY TEKRAD, CHANGING IT LATER TO TEKTRONIX.

>> MILES AND I HAD $5,000 WE PUT INTO THE COMPANY.

I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE ALL PUT IN.

AND WE WEREN'T PARTICULARLY WORRIED ABOUT ANYTHING.

WE WERE YOUNG.

WE KNEW THAT THEY WERE -- THEY HAD GOOD ABILITY, AND ALSO, THAT HIGH-TECH EQUIPMENT HAD BEEN RESTRICTED SOMEWHAT TO THE MILITARY, AND NOW IT WAS JUST WIDE-OPEN.

>> THE TIMING WAS RIGHT IN THE OSCILLOSCOPE SENSE, BECAUSE ELECTRONICS WAS JUST BREAKING OUT BIG-TIME STYLE.

>> Narrator: IT WAS VOLLUM'S IDEA TO BUILD OSCILLOSCOPES, THE ONE PIECE OF TEST EQUIPMENT HE KNEW ENGINEERS COULDN'T WORK WITHOUT.

>> Announcer on TV: We are often asked, "What is a cathode ray oscilloscope?"

It is a device which can portray electrical phenomena visually.

>> IT WAS AS UBIQUITOUS AS A MONKEY WRENCH FOR A MECHANIC, AS UBIQUITOUS AS A STETHOSCOPE FOR A DOCTOR, AND TO THAT EXTENT IT'S NOT TERRIBLY GLAMOROUS, BUT IT'S TERRIBLY IMPORTANT.

>> Announcer on TV: An oscilloscope can record the reactions of a patient in surgery, it can monitor the heartbeat of man or machine, a nerve impulse, or the thrust of a jet engine.

>> Narrator: BUT COMING OUT OF THE WAR, OSCILLOSCOPES WERE RUDIMENTARY AT BEST.

ENGINEERS COULD LOOK AT AND INTERPRET A WAVE FORM BUT COULDN'T ACCURATELY MEASURE IT.

VOLLUM BELIEVED HE COULD BUILD A RADICALLY BETTER SCOPE AND WENT TO WORK DESIGNING THE CIRCUITRY.

JACK AND MILES BEGAN BUYING AND SORTING SURPLUS MILITARY PARTS TO BUILD IT, FIRST IN THE MURDOCK BASEMENT, THEN IN JACK'S OLD SHOP.

>> JACK LIVED WITH HIS FATHER AND MOTHER, AND HOWARD WITH HIS PARENTS, SO IT WAS NO PROBLEM.

WE JUST EXISTED; WE GOT ALONG.

>> Narrator: IN 1947, THE YOUNG PORTLAND ENTREPRENEURS LEASED THEIR FIRST NEW BUILDING AT 7th AND HAWTHORNE.

THEY OPENED A REPAIR SHOP ON THE LOWER LEVEL TO GENERATE SOME IMMEDIATE INCOME, AND WITH A HANDFUL OF FRIENDS AND MILITARY BUDDIES, STARTED BUILDING THEIR DREAM.

HOWARD'S FIRST SCOPE, THE 511, EMERGED LATER THAT YEAR.

IT WAS SMALLER, FASTER, AND COST LESS THAN HALF OF ITS NEAREST COMPETITORS.

>> AND BECAUSE OF THE WAY TEKTRONIX DESIGNED THEIR PRODUCTS, IT GAVE A VERY PRECISE, VERY STABLE DISPLAY AND PICTURE.

>> THE OSCILLOSCOPES OF THE TIME STUNK, AND HOWARD VOLLUM MADE A TRULY QUANTITATIVE OSCILLOSCOPE WHERE NONE EXISTED BEFORE.

>> OH, YEAH, IT WAS A GREAT SUCCESS RIGHT OFF.

WE COULDN'T MAKE THEM FAST ENOUGH FOR YEARS.

>> Narrator: FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, HOWARD WAS CHIEF ENGINEER; JACK, GENERAL MANAGER.

BOTH MEN AGREED THEY WANTED A SMALL INFORMAL COMPANY, ONE THAT COULD BUILD A SUPERIOR PRODUCT WITH A REASONABLE PROFIT.

ROSE AVERY WAS EMPLOYEE NUMBER 33 AND REMEMBERS HER FIRST TOUR OF THE PLANT.

>> OH, WELL, I WAS JUST WATCHING THEM PUTTING EVERYTHING TOGETHER AND THE WIRING AND ALL OF THAT, AND IT JUST INTRIGUED ME SO MUCH.

AND I'VE ALWAYS BEEN KIND OF MECHANICAL, SO THAT REALLY FIT IN REALLY WELL, AND I JUST LOVED IT.

I REALLY LOVED IT.

>> Announcer: Now let's solder a few good connections.

>> Narrator: ROSE WENT TO WORK IN ASSEMBLY AND WAS SOON TEACHING SOLDERING TO NEW HIRES, MANY OF THEM WOMEN.

>> THEY WERE FROM ALL AROUND THE AREA, BUT A LOT OF THEM HAD BEEN HOMEMAKERS AND NEVER HAD AN OUTSIDE JOB OUTSIDE THE HOME AND BECAME ENTHRALLED WITH -- THEY REALLY LIKED IT AND WERE VERY CONSCIENTIOUS ABOUT NOT MAKING MISTAKES.

>> Announcer: Every soldered connection must be perfect.

You must be an expert.

>> Narrator: AS THE COMPANY GREW, SO DID A CLOSE-KNIT CAMARADERIE.

>> IT WAS JUST LIKE A BIG FAMILY.

WE JUST HELPED EACH OTHER.

ONCE A YEAR, THEY HAD A BIG FAMILY PICNIC.

>> WE HAD MOUNTAIN CLIMBING GROUPS AND HIKING GROUPS AND PHOTOGRAPHY GROUPS.

>> JACK HAD A VERY STRONG INTEREST IN AVIATION.

EARLY ON IN TEKTRONIX, HE HELPED FORM A FLYING CLUB.

HE WAS EASY TO TALK TO.

HE WAS JUST A REGULAR KIND OF GUY.

>> AND JACK THOUGHT ABOUT PEOPLE AND PEOPLE PROBLEMS AND HOW YOU GET PEOPLE TO WORK TOGETHER BETTER.

>> Narrator: AT TEK, THERE WERE NO PRIVATE OFFICES, NO ASSIGNED PARKING SPOTS, AND FEW RULES.

>> THE COFFEE POT WAS ALWAYS OPEN, AND HOWARD VOLLUM WAS ALWAYS WANDERING AROUND AND ASKING YOU WHAT YOU WERE UP TO AND SITTING ON YOUR DESK AND HAVING A GOOD CONVERSATION WITH YOU ABOUT THE MOST CREATIVE THINGS HE COULD THINK ABOUT.

THERE WAS JUST CREATIVITY EVERYWHERE.

>> Narrator: THE SMALL COMPANY WITH THE FUNNY NAME QUICKLY EARNED THE REPUTATION OF A QUIRKY, IDEA-DRIVEN RESEARCH FACTORY WHERE TALENT AND KNOWLEDGE TRUMPED TITLES AND DEGREES.

>> THIS ONE MAN WOULD COME ALONG, AND HE'D SAY "HI" AND "HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR JOB?"

AND I SAID, "WELL, FINE."

SO ONE DAY I SAID, "BY THE WAY, WHAT DO YOU DO HERE?"

AND HE TOLD ME WHO HE WAS, AND I DID, I SAID, "OH, MR. VOLLUM, I'M SORRY."

HE SAID, "NO, YOU CALL ME HOWARD; WE USE JUST FIRST NAMES HERE," AND I SAID, "OKAY."

>> Narrator: TEK'S PHILOSOPHY WAS SIMPLE: EVERYONE WANTS TO DO A GOOD JOB AND SHOULD BE TRUSTED TO DO IT.

>> THEY HAD A HUGE STOCKROOM FULL OF ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS.

IT WAS WIDE OPEN.

ANYBODY COULD COME IN AND TAKE PIECES OUT AND MAKE THINGS FOR HOME OR FOR WORK OR FOR WHATEVER THEY WANTED TO DO, BECAUSE IT MIGHT RESULT IN SOME NEW AND EXCITING KIND OF THING GOING ON.

IT WAS THAT KIND OF PLACE.

IT WAS A NO-HOLDS-BARRED, UNRESTRICTED, EVERYBODY HAS ACCESS TO EVERYTHING ELSE, EVERYBODY ELSE, AND EVERYTHING TO GET A BETTER JOB DONE.

>> AND WE FELT PART OF THAT FAMILY.

WE FELT THAT IT WAS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO BE TRUSTED AND IT WAS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO WORK HARD, AND IT WAS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO DO A GOOD JOB.

>> I REMEMBER US ALL CELEBRATING WHEN WE SHIPPED 15 SCOPES IN ONE MONTH.

THAT WAS A GREAT DAY.

>> Narrator: AT A TIME WHEN MOST COMPANIES SCOFFED AT THE IDEA, TEK HAD INSTITUTED A GENEROUS PROFIT-SHARE PROGRAM FOR EVERY EMPLOYEE.

>> THE LARGEST PROFIT SHARE WE EVER HAD WAS 71%, AND THAT WAS WONDERFUL.

>> A LOT OF MEN AND WOMEN TOOK A VERY SHORT COFFEE BREAK, SAYING, "I'LL GO MAKE MORE PARTS," BECAUSE THE MORE WE DID, THE BETTER THE PROFIT WOULD BE FOR THE COMPANY.

>> IT WAS KIND OF A TEAM SPIRIT.

AS A CONSEQUENCE, YOU KNOW, THAT THE COMPANY GREW VERY WELL BECAUSE OF THAT.

>> Narrator: BY THE EARLY 1950s, TEKTRONIX EMPLOYED MORE THAN 300 PEOPLE IN A THREE-SHIFT OPERATION.

SEVENTH AND HAWTHORNE WAS BURSTING AT THE SEAMS.

AND IN 1951, TEK MOVED INTO A BRAND-NEW PLANT WEST OF PORTLAND JUST OFF THE SUNSET HIGHWAY.

IT WAS SLEEK, MODERN, AND REFLECTED CONFIDENCE.

>> THEY KNEW WHAT THEIR OBJECTIVE WAS: TO BUILD THE BEST DAMNED OSCILLOSCOPES IN THE WORLD.

>> Narrator: THEY DID IT BY MANUFACTURING NEARLY EVERY PART AND COMPONENT THEMSELVES.

THAT INCLUDED THE CATHODE RAY TUBE, THE HEART AND EYE OF THE SCOPE.

>> I ACTUALLY BUILT THE FIRST C.R.T.

ON THE WEEKEND, USING ALL THE EQUIPMENT, AND THE TUBE CAME OUT OKAY.

IT DIDN'T LOOK VERY PRETTY, BUT... >> Narrator: JOHN KOBBE JOINED TEK FRESH OUT OF THE NAVY.

>> NOT HAVING A DEGREE, I NEVER FIGURED I'D BE ABLE TO GET THIS OPPORTUNITY.

THE GOALS WERE PRETTY MUCH DO WHAT YOU CAN, AND I GUESS IF THAT'S THE GOAL, THEN I NEVER FELT LIKE IT COULDN'T BE DONE.

>> Narrator: AND WHAT TEK PRODUCED WAS UNMATCHED IN QUALITY AND DESIGN.

>> THE REALLY BIG DEAL ABOUT TEK IS THE TREMENDOUS TECHNOLOGY IT BROUGHT TO THE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY: A MEASUREMENT TOOL THAT COULD MEASURE THINGS DOWN TO A BILLIONTH OF A SECOND.

>> Narrator: TEKTRONIX WAS ON THE CUTTING EDGE... >> Announcer: THIS IS NBC.

>> Narrator: AND IT WAS ONLY NATURAL THAT IT TEAMED UP WITH TELEVISION.

>> TELEVISION WAS RUNNING RAMPANT.

IT WAS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TO BE ABLE TO SEE A TELEVISION SIGNAL AND KNOW WHERE IT WAS GETTING DISTORTED OR WHERE IT WASN'T GETTING DISTORTED.

>> Narrator: BY THE EARLY '50s, BROADCAST ENGINEERS WERE USING TAILOR-MADE TEK SCOPES TO SEE AND FINE-TUNE THEIR SIGNALS.

>> OUR PRODUCTS CHANGED, THEY IMPROVED THINGS, AND EVEN TODAY YOU CAN GO TO VIRTUALLY ANY TELEVISION STATION IN THE WORLD AND FIND TEKTRONIX PRODUCTS.

[ beeping ] >> Narrator: IN 1957, THE RUSSIANS LAUNCHED SPUTNIK I, THE WORLD'S FIRST MAN-MADE SATELLITE, AND SCIENTISTS ANALYZED ITS RADIO TRANSMISSIONS ON TEK SCOPES.

THE SPACE RACE HAD TURNED SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY RED-HOT.

>> WE WERE VERY DEEPLY INVOLVED IN THE SPACE PROGRAM, BECAUSE A LOT OF OSCILLOSCOPES WERE USED TO LOOK FOR THINGS THEY MONITORED ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE OF THE ROCKET.

>> Announcer: Evaluation of this maiden flight, over 90% successful.

A major stride... >> WE HAD OUR PLACE IN THE BUNKER, ALL TEK, YOU BET.

>> Narrator: BACK HOME, TEK WAS ONCE AGAIN OUT OF SPACE.

IN 1957, TEKTRONIX BROKE GROUND IN MORE THAN 300 ACRES NEAR BEAVERTON AND CONSTRUCTED A SPRAWLING COLLEGE-LIKE CAMPUS.

TWO YEARS LATER, THE COMPANY EMPLOYED NEARLY 3,000 PEOPLE.

FIELD OFFICES HAD SPROUTED UP ACROSS THE COUNTRY, STAFFED BY FIELD ENGINEERS WHO KNEW TEK SCOPES INSIDE AND OUT.

>> IN ADDITION TO BEING TECHNICALLY ORIENTED FOR SELLING, WE ALSO CARRIED A TOOL KIT, AND IT WAS A DELIGHTFUL BRIEFCASE; I LOVED THE THING.

IT HAD A COMPLEMENT OF TUBES AND COMPONENTS, AND IF WE FOUND A SCOPE THAT WASN'T WORKING, WE WOULD HELP THE PEOPLE FIX IT OR WE'D FIX IT OURSELVES.

NO OTHER COMPANY DID THAT.

>> IT WAS OUR NUMBER-ONE SALES TOOL.

MANY CUSTOMERS GOT TO KNOW THE TEK FIELD ENGINEER AND TRUSTED HIM, AND HE TRUSTED THEM, AND THEY JUST DIDN'T EVEN CONSIDER OTHER BRANDS OF EQUIPMENT.

>> Narrator: VOLLUM WENT A STEP FURTHER AND INSISTED TEK ENGINEERS ATTEND THE NATIONAL TRADE SHOWS.

>> AFTER THE TRADE SHOW WAS OVER, WE'D STAY AROUND ABOUT A WEEK AND RIDE AROUND WITH THE FIELD PEOPLE VISITING CUSTOMERS, TALK TO THEM AND SEE WHAT THEY NEEDED.

>> ONE OF OUR OLD-TIMERS, HOWARD, SAID THAT BACK IN THOSE DAYS, THE ENGINEERS DREAMED UP INSTRUMENTS THAT THE CUSTOMERS DIDN'T KNOW THEY NEEDED.

>> WELL, THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.

THAT WAS -- THERE WERE A WHOLE SUCCESSION OF INSTRUMENTS LIKE THAT, AND THEY WERE VERY SUCCESSFUL.

>> AND THEIR BUSINESS JUST GREW AND GREW FROM DOMESTIC ALL THE WAY TO INTERNATIONAL.

>> Narrator: IN THE LATE '50s, MANUFACTURING BEGAN ON THE SMALL ISLE OF GUERNSEY IN THE ENGLISH CHANNEL, THE FIRST AMERICAN PLANT ESTABLISHED THERE.

>> BY PUTTING A FACTORY ON THE ISLAND OF GUERNSEY, WE GOT INTO EFTA, THE EUROPEAN FREE TRADE ASSOCIATION.

WE NEEDED TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT WAS WITHIN THAT COMMON MARKET BOUNDARY, BECAUSE IF WE DIDN'T, WE WOULD HAVE TO PAY A HIGH TARIFF TO ENTER.

TEK WAS A BIG DEAL, BECAUSE EVENTUALLY IT HAD ABOUT 500 EMPLOYEES THERE.

>> Narrator: ANOTHER PLANT FOLLOWED IN THE NETHERLANDS.

>> Announcer: Manufacturing operations began in Japan during 1965 with the formation of Sony-Tektronix, a 50/50 subsidiary... >> THEY WERE JUST HANGING ON TO THE TAIL-END OF A FREIGHT TRAIN THAT WAS GOING 90 MILES AN HOUR.

IT WAS PROBABLY BIGGER THAN ANY OF US COULD IMAGINE.

>> Narrator: IN ADDITION TO ITS CORE OSCILLOSCOPES, TEK WAS PRODUCING HUNDREDS OF RELATED PRODUCTS, ATTACHMENTS, AND ACCESSORIES.

THE COMPANY WAS, IN FACT, DRIVING THE INDUSTRY AND QUIETLY SHAPING THE REGION IT CALLED HOME.

UNLIKE OTHER LARGE CITIES BOASTING A STANFORD OR M.I.T., THE PORTLAND AREA LACKED OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRADUATE-LEVEL TRAINING IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING.

SO UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF THEN-GOVERNOR MARK HATFIELD, HOWARD VOLLUM HELPED FOUND THE OREGON GRADUATE CENTER IN 1963.

IN ADDITION, TEK OFFERED ITS OWN IN-HOUSE EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAM AND BUILT CO-OP PROGRAMS WITH THE LOCAL COLLEGES.

>> TEKTRONIX HAD THEIR OWN COMMUNITY COLLEGE GOING AND THEY WOULD PAY FOR ANY COURSES YOU WANTED TO TAKE IN COLLEGE IN ORDER TO INCREASE YOUR KNOWLEDGE.

>> WE RAN AN EDUCATION BUDGET THAT WAS PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL FOR THAT ACTIVITY, BECAUSE WE BELIEVED THAT SERVED US WELL IN THE MARKET, AND IT DID.

>> Narrator: AS TEK BALLOONED INTO A BILLION-DOLLAR COMPANY, IT OPERATED UNDER FEW FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS, BUT SUCCESS WOULD ALSO BRING CHANGE.

IN 1964, TEK WENT PUBLIC, AND THAT MEANT RISKY AND INNOVATIVE IDEAS BEGAN TAKING A BACK SEAT TO SHAREHOLDERS.

>> IT BECAME FAR MORE QUARTERLY DRIVEN.

IT WAS MUCH MORE, "HOW DO WE CREATE EARNINGS FOR THE SHAREHOLDERS?"

WELL, THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT, BUT THAT DOES NOT BUILD THE SAME KIND OF COMPANY.

>> Narrator: NEITHER WAS TEK THE INTIMATE, FAMILY-LIKE COMPANY ONCE CHAMPIONED BY ITS FOUNDERS.

ALTHOUGH JACK MURDOCK HAD REMAINED CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, HE'D LONG SINCE FOCUSED ATTENTION ON HIS AVIATION BUSINESS.

AND ON A BLUSTERY DAY IN 1971, HE FLEW HIS SEAPLANE UP THE COLUMBIA GORGE, LANDING NEAR MARYHILL.

>> THE WIND WAS BLOWING WAY TOO HARD THAT DAY.

IT WAS BLOWING ABOUT 35 TO 40 DOWN THE COLUMBIA.

AND WHEN HE WENT TO TAKE OFF, THE WIND WAS SUCH THAT IT CAUSED THE AIRPLANE TO BE PICKED UP AND TURNED OVER ON ITS NOSE.

>> Narrator: JACK AND A PASSENGER CLUNG TO THE PONTOONS, THEN SWAM FOR SHORE.

>> THE PASSENGER WITH HIM WAS ABLE TO SWIM TO THE BEACH.

JACK TRIED, BUT HE WASN'T FUNCTIONAL.

I SUSPECT THAT THE COLD HAD GOT HIM.

FOUND THE PLANE, BUT I DON'T BELIEVE JACK'S BODY WAS EVER RECOVERED.

>> Narrator: A YEAR LATER, THE COMPANY WEATHERED ANOTHER LOSS WHEN HOWARD VOLLUM RETIRED AS PRESIDENT.

>> NO ONE EVER TOOK HOWARD'S PLACE.

WE HAD NEW MANAGEMENT, BUT NO ONE TOOK HOWARD'S PLACE.

HE WAS BILL GATES AND STEVE JOBS ROLLED UP INTO A VERY EASYGOING, VERY HUMBLE MAN, BUT CLEARLY THE LEADER OF THE COMPANY.

>> Narrator: IN THE EARLY '80s, TEKTRONIX EMPLOYMENT PEAKED AT 24,000 WORLDWIDE, ABOUT 15,000 LOCALLY.

COMPETITION BETWEEN NEW IDEAS HAD GROWN FIERCE, LEAVING MANY INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS AND PROJECTS UNPURSUED.

>> AND MANY OF THEIR MOST ENERGETIC AND CREATIVE PEOPLE WERE LEAVING BECAUSE OF THE KIND OF INERTIA THAT SEEMED TO HAVE OVERTAKEN THE COMPANY.

>> Narrator: C. NORMAN WINNINGSTAD JOINED TEKTRONIX IN 1958.

HE PIONEERED TEK'S EARLY GRAPHICS DISPLAY TERMINALS, USING ANOTHER TEK INNOVATION, A CATHODE RAY TUBE THAT COULD RETAIN OR STORE AN IMAGE.

>> Announcer: The Tektronix T-4005 graphic display saves man and machine time.

>> I REALIZED WE COULD MAKE THESE INFORMATION DISPLAY TERMINALS, AND SO I WAS THE FIRST GUY TO MAKE A NON-MEASURING INSTRUMENT AT TEK.

>> Narrator: BUT BUDGET AND MARKETING ISSUES TRIGGERED WINNINGSTAD'S DEPARTURE, AND IN THE EARLY '70s HE LAUNCHED FLOATING POINT SYSTEMS, A SUPERCOMPUTING COMPANY CONSIDERED THE FIRST MAJOR SPIN-OFF FROM MOTHER TEK.

>> SO HOWARD HAD GIVEN ME SOME TEK STOCK.

SO GUESS WHAT, I HAD A LITTLE MONEY, ENOUGH TO START THE COMPANY.

AND ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS AGREE NOT TO BE COMPETITIVE WITH TEKTRONIX AND YOU GOT TEKTRONIX SUPPORT WHILE YOU GOT STARTED.

>> Narrator: OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS, MORE AND MORE OF TEK'S TOP ENGINEERS AND MANAGERS LEFT THE COMPANY TO START THEIR OWN.

>> IT WAS A BRAIN DRAIN, AND YOU CAN'T HAVE THAT IN A COMPANY THAT IS DRIVEN BY KNOWLEDGE AND IDEAS.

>> Narrator: BUT AS TEK WAS DECLINING, A SILICON FOREST WAS GROWING, AND IT WAS ATTRACTING SOME NEWCOMERS AS WELL.

IN THE MID-'70s, CALIFORNIA GIANT INTEL EXPANDED INTO OREGON, PROPELLED IN PART BY FAVORABLE NEW TAX LAWS AND A BUILT-IN ELECTRONICS-SAVVY WORKFORCE.

>> IN THE '80s, THIS IS WHEN YOU GET THE JAPANESE COMPANIES COMING IN, WHEN INTEL WAS VERY WELL ESTABLISHED, TEKTRONIX WAS STRUGGLING, BUT MENTOR GRAPHICS WAS -- AND FLOATING POINT SYSTEMS WERE KIND OF THE HOT TICKETS.

THERE WERE LOTS OF COMPANIES THAT WERE SPINNING OFF OF TEK AND OFF OF INTEL AND EVEN OFF OF SMALLER COMPANIES ONCE IT BECAME CLEAR THAT THE VENTURE CAPITAL WAS THERE.

>> Narrator: TODAY, A LEANER TEKTRONIX EMPLOYS ABOUT 2,000 PEOPLE LOCALLY, BUT ITS FOOTPRINT ON OREGON'S ECONOMY REMAINS FIRMLY PLANTED.

IN THIS POSTER, DEVELOPED AT PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY, MORE THAN 300 COMPANIES ORBIT AROUND A HANDFUL OF STARS IN A DENSE AND DIVERSE SILICON FOREST UNIVERSE.

BACK IN 1946, TEKTRONIX SEEDED THAT FOREST WITH AN IDEA.

>> THE WHOLE PHILOSOPHY OF THE COMPANY, FROM THE TOP TO THE BOTTOM, WAS DOING IT RIGHT.

>> Narrator: AND MANY OF TEK'S CHILDREN TOOK PART OF THAT PIONEERING CULTURE WITH THEM.

>> WE MADE DAMN SURE THAT OUR ENGINEERS TALKED AT THE CONVENTIONS, AND WE MADE SURE THAT WE HAD A PROFIT-SHARING SYSTEM AND ALL THAT.

>> IT WAS A PROGRESSIVE COMPANY IN THE SENSE THAT IT WAS EARLY IN TRYING TO PRESERVE THE DIGNITY OF EVERY EMPLOYEE.

AND THAT'S NOT AN EASY TASK.

[ ?

?? ]

>> TEKTRONIX WAS A CAMELOT.

CAMELOTS DON'T LAST FOREVER.

>> Narrator: HOWARD VOLLUM DIED IN 1986 AFTER A MASSIVE STROKE.

HE WAS ONE OF THE WEALTHIEST MEN IN OREGON, AND ALONG WITH JACK MURDOCK, ONE OF ITS GREAT PHILANTHROPISTS.

THEIR LEGACY LIVES ON THROUGH THEIR CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS THAT CONTINUE TO RICHLY BENEFIT THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND IN THE HERITAGE OF A HOMEGROWN COMPANY THAT CHANGED THE WORLD.

>> Announcer: Pioneering creates something else besides new products; it creates an organization of people, management with vision, engineers with imagination.

We are determined to help to provide some of the tools that will be needed in the shaping of our tomorrow.

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