Harper Thorpe has had an impact on the development of innovative marketing channels. During his 22 year career with Hewlett Packard from 1977 to 1999, he spearheaded the use of independent software vendors (ISVs) and Value-Added Resellers (VARs). He helped to move HP from a predominantly instrument-focused company with a direct sales force to becoming a major competitor in the minicomputer and desktop computer businesses by offering customers solutions to business problems instead of just hardware. Harper’s model of sales distribution has been copied by many of HP’s original competitors. At the time of this interview, Harper was President and CEO of Sonic Eagle, Inc., a real estate technology company, which was later sold to First American Title Company.
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Thorpe, Harper; HP 1000; HP 3000; ComputerLand; Dell; ISV (independent software vendor); Reseller; Rhythms; TAMO; Value Added Reseller (VAR); Distributor; HP Way
