Natick, MA – October 18, 2017 – Centage Corporation, a leading provider of cloud-based budgeting and forecasting software (Budget Maestro®) for mid-market organizations, honored the inventors of the first computer spreadsheet program, VisiCalc, during a National Spreadsheet Day event held yesterday, October 17, 2017.
Centage officially cut the ribbon for the Bricklin-Frankston Training Center in honor of Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston, named the “Fathers of the Spreadsheet” for the contributions their invention provided to every accounting, budgeting and planning software that was to follow. Centage has introduced the next generation of budgeting solutions with its cloud-based software Budget Maestro 9, but recognizes that the solutions it delivers to mid-market businesses would never have been possible without the foundation and inspiration of innovators like Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston.
VisiCalc is widely credited for fueling the rapid growth of the personal computer industry – Steve Jobs was even quoted as saying “VisiCalc … propelled … the success [of Apple]… more than any other single event.” As co-founders of Software Arts, Mr. Bricklin and Mr. Frankston developed VisiCalc in 1979.
The public was able to watch the event live at Centage’s headquarters via Facebook Live video. The ceremony included an informative and engaging presentation by both Mr. Bricklin and Mr. Frankston on “The Birth of the Spreadsheet.”
“I like how Centage has been naming rooms after those whose contributions have provided the basis on which the company was founded. I am honored to be included among them, and am pleased to have been able to meet some of those who are building on that base,” said Bricklin.
“I think it’s so important to celebrate our roots and look back at the technology that helped us get to where we are today,” said Barry Clapp, president and chief executive officer of Centage Corporation. “We were honored to celebrate the naming of our new Training Center with the two men that started it all, Mr. Bricklin and Mr. Frankston.”
