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Wednesday, July 21, 2010
The Mover
PTC’s Heppelmann, the CEO in the wings
By Marc Songini
MHT talks with Tanja Dominko, WPI researcher and CellThera president
MHT talks with Christopher Lambert of WPI Center for Neuroprosthetics
MHT talks with Grant McGimpsey, director of the WPI Center for Neuroprosthetics
Jim Heppelmann
President and COO (CEO as of Oct. 1, 2010), Parametric Technology Corp.
Education: Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, University of Minnesota
Previous experience: Co-founder and CTO of Windchill Technology; CTO at Metaphase; Control Data Corp.
As president and chief operating officer of product-focused software maker Parametric Technology Corp. (PTC) Jim Heppelmann likes to look at an Audi automobile, among other easily recognized products, and reflect how his company’s software helped design it them.
“I have a tremendous amount of satisfaction seeing the great products our innovation delivers,” he said. He may not appear to fit the general idea of a software maker. “I’m a technical guy with a fondness for tinkering. I like machinery and equipment. I’m a hands-on guy — a ‘get your fingers dirty’ guy.”
In May, the Needham-based product lifecycle management (PLM) software manufacturer PTC appointed him as CEO. When the appointment takes effect on Oct. 1, Heppelmann will replace C. Richard Harrison, who will remain as executive chairman.
Heppelmann doesn’t just like to tinker with technical problems, he said of his upcoming role: “I’m a vision guy. The PLM tools are complex and expensive applications that retailers and manufacturers use to design, improve and manufacture their goods and packages.”
“I’m always about the power of technology and the ability to solve problems and create advantages at a customer site. Going forward I want to continue to position this company as visionary technology.” Without offering specifics, he said he plans to soon unveil “Project Lightning,” a new approach that the company claims will define the mechanical computer-aided design software market for the next 20 years.
The 45-year old Heppelmann joined PTC as senior vice president in 1998, when it acquired his startup, Minneapolis-based Windchill Technology Inc. He was a key player in driving PTC technology, including creation of a web-based version of its applications. In 2001, he became executive vice president and CTO, and thereafter, became executive vice president of the software and marketing group and chief product officer.
In 2008, Heppelmann stepped up to the PTC board, and, last year, was appointed president and COO. He said the major difference between the president and CEO roles is that, at least conceptually, the CEO is “the overall boss” and handles strategy. The president tends to be “more the operational guy.”
It’s been quite an exodus for Heppelmann, the seventh of eight children born on a Minnesota dairy farm. From early on, he had contact with, and interest in, heavy farm equipment and machinery. Subsequently, he studied mechanical engineering with an emphasis on CAD at the Institute of Technology at the University of Minnesota. After graduating in the mid-1980s, he joined mainframe based systems maker Control Data Corp. as a professional services consultant, and specialized in customizing the software to better fit a customer’s needs.
In 1992, Control Data created a spinoff that made applications for product data management. Called Metaphase Technology (now a part of Siemens AG), Heppelmann was its CTO for four years.
He left to launch Windchill Technology in 1996, focused on an Internet-architected PLM application. Minnesota was a fertile area for technology, as there were a number of mainframe and supercomputing companies, such as IBM Corp., with excellent engineering talent. As the companies downsized, they “disgorged tremendous amounts of talent into the market,” he said.
In 1998, PTC bought out the company that owned a majority stake in Heppelmann’s startup. Heppelmann joined the firm as senior vice president of the new Windchill Business Unit, which required him to leave Minnesota, “begrudgingly” at first.
He helped to change the PTC style, as well. “The company was viewed as aggressive and sometimes arrogant,” he said. “In the 1990s it had a great product but was difficult to do business with. Now it’s viewed as a great partner with a great product with a tremendous amount of repeat business.”
Marc Songini is a freelance writer in Mansfield.
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