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 THE STAT 26Percentage of wireless customers who use their cell phones to take picturesMore Vitals
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MAY 12, 2004
To Autodesk -- and Beyond? [Page 2 of 2] BIG BETS. Hence this year's good news. A new software product, called Inventor, is selling well. Autodesk is also getting a boost from its latest release of AutoCAD, says Daratech's Foundyller. That's partly why he projects that Autodesk's sales will grow 11.4% this year, vs. 3% to 4% for the CAD sector. The company's operating margins reached nearly 20% in the quarter ended in January, vs. less than 1% a year before. Now, Bartz hopes to improve margins further. As her execs know only too well, she achieves most of what she sets out to do: She regularly makes bets with them on everything from the timing of a product release to fluctuations in foreign currency (the strong euro was a contributor to the recent sales surge, since 57% of Autodesk's sales come from outside the Americas, says S&P's Rudy). The winner gets a free latte -- and Bartz wins hers often, Sterling says. Over the years, she has made mistakes on occasion. For instance, Autodesk entered markets such as high-end animation that proved to be too small, says Foundyller. But such missteps have been more the exception than the rule -- and Bartz doesn't give up on new product lines easily. She knows she can't climb Mr. Everest, she says. But she can accomplish nearly everything else. "CATCHING THE BALL." Karen Nierenberg, executive director of The Community Breast Health Project, a Palo Alto (Calif.) information resource for people with breast cancer, recalls how Bartz showed up for a board meeting one night with a hugely swollen leg. Turns out, she had rushed from work to her daughter's soccer game and slipped, twisting her ankle. She hobbled to the game, then limped to the board meeting. Because the Project's freezer had no ice, she ended up sitting with a bag of frozen peas on her foot. But she carried on as usual, Nierenberg says. Indeed, balancing a demanding job with volunteer work and family has been a tough feat. "I have a belief that life isn't about balance, because balance is perfection," Bartz says. "Rather, it's about catching the ball before it hits the floor." Ever since her daughter, who's now 15, was in elementary school, Bartz would sit down with her at the beginning of each school year and promise to come to certain school events -- say, a Christmas concert or the Halloween party. "I don't care if the Pope comes to Autodesk, I'm still going to spend that time with her," she says. Recently, she canceled a business dinner to attend her daughter's first prom. She also finds time to catch some San Francisco 49ers' games. A FAIR SHAKE. Bartz encourages her employees to have a life outside of work as well. Autodesk's staffers can receive several hours off a month to help out at their children's schools. A few weeks ago, Bartz taught 60 or so of her employees' kids, who showed up for the company's bring-your-kids-to-work day, how to execute a real business handshake (hand should not be limp, look the person in the eye). And as part of her work on the President's Council, which has fueled speculation that she could eventually snatch a top government post, Bartz tries to promote programs that would encourage girls to study math and science and enable them to pass freshman calculus. (For now, her own daughter is leaning toward trying to become a Broadway star.) After years of hard work, all the pieces finally seem to fall into place: Bartz's company is growing. Her cancer is gone. And whatever challenges remain, Bartz will get there -- if her latte score is anything to go by.
 By Olga Kharif in Portland, Ore.
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