Zipping through life
Look toward the future and achieve new dreams.
Despite having a life full of success, David Norton prefers to think about this motto.
Norton, left IBM after working there for 17 years, left and in 1980 founded Iomega, maker of Zip drives. He is now CEO of the USU Research Foundation and said the future is where positive differences lie.
“I don’t spend much time reminiscing. I have served on boards, I have served on many things, but the future, and the dreams and the achievement of them, is what life is about,” Norton said.
Norton came to Utah State University to answer a call from President Dwight D. Eisenhower
After the Russians put Sputnik into orbit in 1957, Eisenhower called on the nation’s youth to excel in college.
“I didn’t do too well in English, I couldn’t speak Spanish and the only thing I could do was mathematics,” Norton said. “I thought, that is a call to me. So I came to Utah State.”
Norton attended Utah State from 1958 to 1964 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He returned for the 1966-67 school year and received his master’s in the same field.
He said his experience at Utah State was very positive.
“I enjoyed the whole college experience; the ball games, social activities and the political environment, and while I was getting my education I obtained some degrees,” he said.
After receiving his master’s degree, he went to work for IBM because the company funded his doctorate work. Norton received his doctorate in mechanical engineering from the University of Colorado in 1972.
Norton said he worked very early on the development of what conceptually became the Jaz drive. Dave Bailey was involved later on the same project and then IBM decided to terminate the program.
“Dave knew of my background in that area and came and asked if I would give thought to starting up a company, and I said let’s do it,” Norton said.
They left IBM and, along with Rod Linton, founded Iomega and developed the Zip drive.
“We left with know-how, not a product. I had patents within these areas at IBM, as did others,” he said.
He said he sold his first three drives to IBM for them to tear down and analyze to make certain that Iomega had not stolen any products.
Norton said IBM could possibly have developed a high-capacity system if the company had not terminated the project.
“The twists and turns in life produce what they produce, so I don’t live with ‘it might have been,'” he said.
When Norton co-founded Iomega, he worked as vice president of research development and moved throughout the company.
“I love the challenge of change, and once a business becomes operational it loses some of its excitement,” Norton said. “Iomega had gone public and became a corporation. I left it for the same reason I left IBM.”
He said vision, growth and opportunity is where the fun is.
“Others can run them, but not everyone can build them and I enjoy building them,” Norton said.
He left Iomega and co-founded what is now iArchive. He has since moved on to the USU Research Foundation and does not receive any royalties or income from his previous endeavor.
“When I move on, I move on,” Nortion said. “I am on this project, it’s exciting, probably the most exciting adventure of my life.”
He said the visions he and President Kermit L. Hall have complement the vision of the university, and that makes it a fun place to make some exciting things happen.
“Most guys have to pay for this kind of fun,” Norton said. “Most people wouldn’t think what I do is too fun, but whatever turns you on.”
Chris Millard has enjoyed working for Norton for more than 10 years on projects at Utah State.
“If I had to pick one word to describe Dave it would be integrity,” Millard said. “I have never had a better boss, and never will,” she said.
Millard said Norton does not have a private agenda and is never self-serving.
“I’ve never heard him lie or speak bad of anyone,” she said.
Millard said she could never beat him to the office. He would be there at 4 a.m. because he was so excited about a project he was working on. Norton also has a great résumé, but he will never brag about any of his accomplishments, Millard said.
Norton said he is still a kid at heart.
“I don’t even know what I’ll be when I grow up,” he said.