Oral history interview with James McCormack

Abstract

McCormack, co-founder of the Boston software company McCormack and Dodge, describes his career and the growth of his company. He begins with his work at General Motors in the early 1960s on the automation of a cost accounting system. He explains how he gained knowledge of computer systems while working as an IBM marketing representative, and describes his discussions with Frank Dodge, a systems engineering group leader at IBM, that led to the 1969 founding of McCormack and Dodge. He describes their first product (for fixed assets), their early financial problems, the establishment of a base of customers in the Boston area, and the successes of a mass-market pricing strategy. He then turns to the company's rapid growth over the next decade to over 750 employees and a range of products, including accounts payable, ledger, purchasing, capital project accounting, human resource, and accounts receivable systems. McCormack discusses at length the problems associated with managing a fast-growing company. He remarks on his company's strong reputation, and on the strategy and structure of the competition. He concludes with an appraisal of the acquisition of his company by Dunn and Bradstreet in 1983.