Cie, Ltd. (La Cie) was founded in July 1987 in Tigard, Oregon, U.S. Joel Kamerman, his parents Robert and Tudy Kamerman, and Roger Bates founded La Cie. Joel Kamerman was La Cie's president and general manager from July 1987 through January 1997. Joel Kamerman founded La Cie on three principles: Profit was more important than revenue Product differentiation would create profit Vertical integration was key to La Cie's long term viability La Cie's objective was to create premier products and differentiate the company through industrial design and value added software. In the US, La Cie was acquired by Plus Development, a subsidiary of the storage manufacturer Quantum in December 1990. As a subsidiary of Quantum, La Cie was licensed as the exclusive manufacturer of Apple-branded external SCSI hard drives, using Quantum hard disks. Joel Kamerman and Scott Phillips negotiated the deal between Apple Computer and La Cie. After the 1995 acquisition of La Cie by électronique d2, company management was headed by Philippe Spruch, who continues to head the combined company as of December 2013. Seagate Technology announced in March 2012 it would purchase LaCie for $186 million, with the transaction expected to close in 2014. In August 2013, the US headquarters were moved back to Tigard. Timeline 1987 Joel Kamerman, Robert Kamerman, Tudy Kamerman, and Roger Bates found La Cie, Ltd. in Tigard, Oregon, U.S. It introduces the Cirrus Drive, the first external drive to win an industrial design award. 1989 Pierre Fournier (32) and Philippe Spruch (26) found électronique d2 in Paris. 1990 Plus Development, a Quantum Corp. subsidiary, acquires La Cie, Ltd. 1990 d2 expands and moves to new premises in rue Watt, Paris. 1991 Establishment of the first subsidiary in London (UK); development of the first d2 SCSI card for PC environment. 1992 Belgian offices open in Brussels and Danish offices in Copenhagen; Philippe Starck and Neil Poulton design new drive models. 1993 German subsidiary established in Düsseldorf; d2 moves its HQ to larger premises in Massy (southern suburbs of Paris). 1994 Subsidiaries opened in Rotterdam and Basel. 1995 Subsidiaries opened in Madrid and Milan; électronique d2 buys LaCie, a subsidiary of Quantum; d2 gains a foothold in the North American market. 1996 Offices open in Stockholm and the Canadian subsidiary of LaCie is opened in Toronto. électronique d2 is listed at the nouveau marché in Paris. 1997 Transfer of LaCie US to new premises in