Joe Koenig
Encyclopedia
Joseph Koenig is a Canadian entrepreneur
who was founder and president of Electronics Workbench
. Koenig’s first company was Interactive Image Technologies in Toronto
, Ontario
, and specialized in producing educational movies and documentaries. When the government of Ontario needed an educational tool for teaching electronics in colleges, the company created an electronics circuit simulator called Electronics Workbench.
with his family in 1937, when they fled Nazi Germany
. They settled in 145 acre (0.5867947 km²) farm along the Grand River
, outside what is now known as Cambridge, Ontario
.
Koenig began his career as a filmmaker in 1956 at the National Film Board of Canada
(NFB). He directed and produced dozens of films over his 14 1/2-year career at the NFB, including Cosmic Zoom
, and The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes
. Through his work as a director and producer, Koenig began experimenting with multimedia
as an educational tool.
He left NFB in 1969 and with John Kemeny and George Kazender formed International Cinemedia Center where he produced films for Sesame Street
and other educational clients in Canada and the United States. He relocated to Toronto in 1978 and transformed the company into Interactive Image Technologies in 1985, and began producing and distributing educational interactive videos. In 1992, the Ontario Government modified its high school curriculum to require the teaching of electronics. A Call for proposals to provide a simulation software
package to meet the required learning outcomes was issued, and Koenig’s company was awarded the contract.
In 1995, Koenig became embroiled in a copyright lawsuit that gained international attention. He sued the operator of a website that distributed illegal copies of his software through a bulletin-board and was successful in his lawsuit, which was filed in the UK
.
One of the main challenges faced by early versions of Electronics Workbench, was the reluctance of educators to use simulation software as part of their electronics curriculum. In the early 1990s, there was considerable opposition among the electronics education community regarding the use of simulation software for the delivery of electronics curriculum. Many educators felt that a “hands on” methodology was the only valid method of learning electronics, and that simulation was a less-effective substitute.
In 1996, Koenig approached best-selling author Dr. Colin Simpson, with the idea of integrating his simulation software with Simpson’s book Principles of Electronics
and to offer an Electronics technician
program where the entire learning outcomes for laboratory projects would be achieved with simulation. Simpson and Koenig embarked on a series of lectures, conference presentations and meetings with accrediting organizations throughout 1996, where they demonstrated that electronics simulation software could achieve identical results to laboratory experiments performed with real equipment.
The partnership between Koenig and Simpson led to the creation of the Electronics Technician distance education program
,which became the largest electronics program in the world. The program won a National Award in 1998, and established Electronics Workbench as a leading educational resource.
In 1999, Koenig oversaw the acquisition of Ultimate Technology Inc. (UTI) located in the Netherlands
. The integration of Multisim with UTI’s PCB layout and design, transformed Koenig’s company into a global Electronic Design Automation
(EDA) company with an installed base of over 150,000 customers.
.
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
who was founder and president of Electronics Workbench
Electronics Workbench
The National Instruments Electronics Workbench Group is responsible for innovating the electronic circuit design software NI Multisim and NI Ultiboard, which was previously a Canada-based company that first produced MultiSIM, and integrated ULTIboard with it....
. Koenig’s first company was Interactive Image Technologies in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, and specialized in producing educational movies and documentaries. When the government of Ontario needed an educational tool for teaching electronics in colleges, the company created an electronics circuit simulator called Electronics Workbench.
Early Years
Joe Koenig emigrated to Canada from GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
with his family in 1937, when they fled Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. They settled in 145 acre (0.5867947 km²) farm along the Grand River
Grand River (Ontario)
The Grand River is a large river in southwestern Ontario, Canada. From its source, it flows south through Grand Valley, Fergus, Elora, Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, Paris, Brantford, Caledonia, and Cayuga before emptying into the north shore of Lake Erie south of Dunnville at Port Maitland...
, outside what is now known as Cambridge, Ontario
Cambridge, Ontario
Cambridge is a city located in Southern Ontario at the confluence of the Grand and Speed rivers in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is an amalgamation of the City of Galt, the towns of Preston and Hespeler, and the hamlet of Blair.Galt covers the largest portion of...
.
Koenig began his career as a filmmaker in 1956 at the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
(NFB). He directed and produced dozens of films over his 14 1/2-year career at the NFB, including Cosmic Zoom
Cosmic Zoom
Cosmic Zoom is a 1968 short film directed by Eva Szasz and produced by the National Film Board of Canada. It depicts the relative size of everything in the universe in an 8-minute sequence using animation and animation camera shots.-Synopsis:...
, and The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes
The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes
The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes is a 1968 Canadian short film. It is a humorous geography lesson where a tour of the Great Lakes is made by a lone canoeist who experiences most of the cataclysmic changes of ages of lake history...
. Through his work as a director and producer, Koenig began experimenting with multimedia
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
as an educational tool.
He left NFB in 1969 and with John Kemeny and George Kazender formed International Cinemedia Center where he produced films for Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
and other educational clients in Canada and the United States. He relocated to Toronto in 1978 and transformed the company into Interactive Image Technologies in 1985, and began producing and distributing educational interactive videos. In 1992, the Ontario Government modified its high school curriculum to require the teaching of electronics. A Call for proposals to provide a simulation software
Simulation software
Simulation software is based on the process of modeling a real phenomenon with a set of mathematical formulas. It is, essentially, a program that allows the user to observe an operation through simulation without actually performing that operation...
package to meet the required learning outcomes was issued, and Koenig’s company was awarded the contract.
In 1995, Koenig became embroiled in a copyright lawsuit that gained international attention. He sued the operator of a website that distributed illegal copies of his software through a bulletin-board and was successful in his lawsuit, which was filed in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
One of the main challenges faced by early versions of Electronics Workbench, was the reluctance of educators to use simulation software as part of their electronics curriculum. In the early 1990s, there was considerable opposition among the electronics education community regarding the use of simulation software for the delivery of electronics curriculum. Many educators felt that a “hands on” methodology was the only valid method of learning electronics, and that simulation was a less-effective substitute.
In 1996, Koenig approached best-selling author Dr. Colin Simpson, with the idea of integrating his simulation software with Simpson’s book Principles of Electronics
Principles of Electronics
Written by Colin Simpson, the book Principles of Electronics, is designed to accompany the Electronics Technician distance education program and contains a concise and practical overview of the basic principles, theorems, circuit behavior and problem-solving procedures of Electronic circuits and...
and to offer an Electronics technician
Electronics technician
Electronics Technicians help design, develop, test, manufacture, and install electrical and electronic equipment such as communication equipment, medical monitoring devices, navigational equipment, and computers. They may be employed in product evaluation and testing, using measuring and...
program where the entire learning outcomes for laboratory projects would be achieved with simulation. Simpson and Koenig embarked on a series of lectures, conference presentations and meetings with accrediting organizations throughout 1996, where they demonstrated that electronics simulation software could achieve identical results to laboratory experiments performed with real equipment.
The partnership between Koenig and Simpson led to the creation of the Electronics Technician distance education program
Electronics Technician distance education program
The Electronics Technician Distance Education program provides flexible, skills-based training in electronics. It has been developed for adult learners pursuing electronics technician-level training through independent study, specifically students who cannot attend college full-time because of...
,which became the largest electronics program in the world. The program won a National Award in 1998, and established Electronics Workbench as a leading educational resource.
In 1999, Koenig oversaw the acquisition of Ultimate Technology Inc. (UTI) located in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. The integration of Multisim with UTI’s PCB layout and design, transformed Koenig’s company into a global Electronic Design Automation
Electronic design automation
Electronic design automation is a category of software tools for designing electronic systems such as printed circuit boards and integrated circuits...
(EDA) company with an installed base of over 150,000 customers.
Later Years
By the year 2000, Koenig’s vision of laboratory simulation software in every school was largely realized and he began to take a more passive role in the strategic planning and day-to-day operation of his company. He announced his retirement as Chief Executive Officer in 2003, and in 2005, Koenig sold his company to National InstrumentsNational Instruments
National Instruments Corporation, or NI , is an American company with over 5,000 employees and direct operations in 41 countries. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, it is a producer of automated test equipment and virtual instrumentation software...
.