Blaine ,
I can report to all that Xicor is alive and well . It is housed in an indutrial park on the east side of Silicon Valley. Around Xicor is the most amazing collection of companies I have ever seen. Including Xicor
there is LSI , C-Cube ,Lattice , Altera ,Atmel , and others. Companies that are changing the world .Except for the sign out front
Xicor looks like all the other bldgs. in this area of the park . Atmel has a brand new steel and glass bldg. just off the freeway , and Altera is in a little different area about a mile away.
Inside the bldg. is extremely clean , well lit ,well organized . This is a manufacturing facility.Nothing fancy, no expensive fixtures, no fancy desks or offices, no exotic artwork on the walls .The lunch room
was clean , well lit ,well stocked , tidy. A place to eat luch and go back to work .The cubicles were clean and serviceable. The companies officers appear to share the same space as other employees.
Xicor is a place of business not a monument to the founder or the President of the company. This is the kind of company Peter Lynch would love !!Shareholers should feel very comfortable as owners . I got the feeling profits come to the bottom line and not to the glorification of the enterprise.And yes , people were working. It was the weekend , but from what I could see the plant was active. I got the impression this is a no-nonsense hi-tech concern , keeping expenses low , egos nonexistent, and profits to the bottom line .You get the same sense of the company at "ground zero" that you do when you call investor relations.
Many thanks to Mike for the brief tour .
Take Care,
John |
