From Silicon Valley Watcher:
A massive metal cast of a sailfish seems to soar out of the desk of
Ray Zinn, Silicon Valley's longest serving CEO, the co-founder of
Micrel [MCRL], a leading chip company that produces essential components for smartphones, consumer electronics and enterprise networks.
At 76, he's been running Micrel since founding it in 1978. This year
Micrel celebrates 20 years as a public and highly profitable company.
Ray Zinn's business success in
today's tough chip markets merits attention, but what's more impressive
is his ability to lead his company through many tough times over the
course of Micrel's 36 years. He's consistently succeeded in emerging
through eight major downturns in global chip markets. Some of his former
competitors weren't able to make it through one downturn.
He credits his success to disciplined work habits and an uncanny
business intuition that enables him to make the right decisions at the
right time.
His long history of consistent success has led to many invitations to
speak at conferences and meetings of professional associations. Earlier
this year he addressed a large group of surgeons.
He leads a fascinating life — self-made from a poor, large family in Southern California, raised a Mormon and raised tenacious.
Ray Zinn's stories are fabulous creations, they are simultaneously
personal and universal. They are stories of stubborn perseverance and
inspired creativity, such as how he raised financing when there were no
VC firms and banks didn't lend to tech companies; his upbringing on a
cattle ranch in a large family of eleven kids; his early days at
Fairchild and the "Traitorous Eight;" how he went blind in one eye then
years later on the eve of Micrel's IPO he went blind in the other eye —
and was pressured to cancel the floatation; how as a young salesman he
sold a huge order for a chip manufacturing product that didn't exist....MORE
