April 5, 2001 - Great Plains Software, a Fargo-born business software company, is celebrating the fact that Microsoft has officially acquired the company. Microsoft Great Plains is now a division operating within Microsoft’s Productivity and Services Group, led by Microsoft Group Vice President Jeff Raikes. Great Plains president Doug Burgum goes from being chairman of the board and CEO of Great Plains to being the leader of the Microsoft Great Plains Division.

More than 140,000 businesses in 132 countries use Microsoft Great Plains Business Solutions. The company employs 2,200 team members worldwide, 920 of those in Fargo. The acquisition announcement came just as the company was completing construction of Vista, the second of three buildings planned along Interstate 29 in southwest Fargo.

Raikes has said that they expect to expand their commitment to the Fargo-Moorhead community. He also says Microsoft Great Plains is one of the company’s “six big bets,” the others being Windows, Office, Enterprise, MSN, and Microsoft Design.

BACK TO HOME PAGE