CDI history

In 1956, Walter R. Garrison, an aerospace engineer with Boeing, joined the company as its Chief Engineer.

In 1961, Garrison and two colleagues bought the company, and Garrison became CEO.

As early as 1971, CDI's defense customers comprised only 33 percent of sales, with the remainder supplied by such all-star clients as Coca-Cola, Philip Morris, Mellon National Bank, Shell Oil, Magnavox, and about 145 other manufacturing firms in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.

In 1972, the company diversified into the field of job placement by buying Management Recruiters International, a firm that focused on providing permanent management talent for clients.

In 1986, Dutch technology company Philips and Japanese electronics giant Sony joined forces to develop an extension of their previously codified Compact Disc format.

After reaching a peak of 145 offices and $111 million in unprofitable revenue in 1989, Garrison finally called a halt and began pruning the division of its worst performers.

By 1990, Philips was selling kits to developers to start promoting and building up interest in the format, and one of the interested companies turned out to be none other than Japanese video game company Nintendo.

The downside of such a concentrated sales picture was demonstrated in 1991, however, when a sharp recession in Detroit lopped $100 million from CDI's revenue and saddled the company with its first annual loss in more than a decade.

Whether it was the confusingly broad way in which the system was marketed, the hefty price tag (the machine cost $1,000 in 1992), or its near-instant obsolescence in the face of ever-evolving CD technology, the CD-i was a flop upon its release.

In 1993, American musician Todd Rundgren created the first music-only fully interactive CD, No World Order, for the CD-i.

In 1994, the machine was redesigned to look more like a standard video game console, and the marketing was changed accordingly—but it was too late.

By 1996, the CD-i was discontinued altogether, having supposedly only sold 570,000 units.

In March 1997, the company elected Mitch Wienick to the position of CEO and President, to replace the retiring Walter Garrison.

In 2001, Mitch Wienick announced his retirement and Roger H. Ballou was elected as CDI's new president and CEO.

In September 2007, the company announced the sale of Today's Staffing to Spherion for $40M.

In 2008, CNET listed the system on its list of The worst game console(s) ever.

In July 2010, the company announced the acquisition of L. Robert Kimball & Associates, Inc. (L.R. Kimball), a 550-person professional services firm that provided architecture, civil and environmental engineering, communication technology and consulting services.

In 2011, Paulett Eberhart, a veteran of Electronic Data Systems, was announced as CDI's new President and CEO, replacing the retiring Roger Ballou.

In August 2014, the company announced a new CEO, former Investcorp, Sears and Lehman Brothers executive Scott J. Freidheim.

In September 2016, CEO Scott Freidheim resigned, and chief financial officer Michael Castleman was promoted to president and interim CEO.