Leadership

Waitt built one of the most successful computer manufacturers and sellers in the US. Along with Dell, Gateway became a pioneering force in using direct mail and the Internet to sell personal computers. Though Gateway has often lagged the performance of Dell, it was the first to make color monitors a standard on all its PC models (1986), it was the first to adopt Windows as a standard (1990), and it was the first to incorporate CD-rom drives and Pentium processing technology (1994). Waitt crafted a homespun, folksy image for Gateway which set it apart from other retailers. In less than ten years, Waitt built a $4 billion business.