25-Year QSR Timeline
Making a difference through the decades
For more than twenty-five years, we’ve wanted to make a difference—through our innovative products and through our conduct as a company. We’ve maintained a safe, rewarding work culture that attracts the best and brightest. We’ve sought to be transparent and fully accountable in our governance. We’ve given our time, money and know-how to help improve communities. And we’ve worked to minimize our impact on the environment. We see responsibility as a never-ending journey, and we are proud of our progress to date. Here are some of the milestones we’ve passed along the way.
1985
Our founders plant the seeds of an exceptional workplace.
It happened when seven people rented their first space in an unassuming office park in La Jolla, California. Today, we employ more than 17,500 employees in over 139 locations worldwide. And we still maintain a fair, progressive and rewarding culture that has won numerous accolades and drawn outstanding people from around the world.
1991
Qualcomm goes public. And our governance goes transparent.
With our initial public offering, 4 million shares were made available for sale on the NASDAQ Stock Market, and we formulated what would become our current governance policies.
1991
Our risk-management program crosses the (state) line.
Ironically, we chose to mitigate risk by opening an office in Las Vegas—our first office outside California. It was our way of protecting against disaster at our San Diego facilities. Our disaster-planning efforts have grown more sophisticated ever since.
1994
We begin installing dark fiber.
It’s not a health food—it’s a way of shrinking energy consumption by reducing the number of circuits in our IT infrastructure. Since then, we’ve expanded our green IT initiatives by employing energy-efficient data centers, enhancing server virtualization and more.
1996
We win San Diego’s Waste Reduction and Recycling Award.
We’ve since won this recognition from the city eight more times. Our Company is growing, and our effort to minimize waste is growing right along with it.
1997
Employees sound off in our first Corporate Climate Survey.
We wanted to know what our employees thought about working at Qualcomm. So we asked them. And we’ve asked on a regular basis since. Engaging with employees and other stakeholders is a hallmark of our culture.
1998
QCares begins.
Our employee volunteer program grew out of our inherent commitment to community involvement. To date, employees—including 100 percent of our current leadership team—have given thousands of off-the-clock hours to help improve the communities where we live and work.
1999
FORTUNE names us one of its “100 Best Companies to Work For in America.”
And we’ve made the list every year since.
2002
California names us a Climate Action Leader.
As a charter member of the California Climate Action Registry, we earned the distinction of “Climate Action Leader” for our early voluntary reporting of greenhouse gas emissions. We’ve received the honor every year since.
2003
We introduce lead-free chip-scale package products.
We were driven to this innovation by the simple belief that less lead in the soil, water and air is a good thing. In 2010, we overcame significant technical challenges to introduce several lead-free flip-chip integrated circuit products.
Learn more about our efforts toward socially and environmentally responsible innovation.
2004
Our charitable giving surpasses $50 million.
Sometimes donating money to a worthy charitable organization is the most effective way to make an impact. As of the end of 2010, we’ve contributed more than $165 million through our corporate giving and employee engagement programs.
2005
We install our first solar panel.
Capacity? 100,000 watts. Today, solar provides our facilities with over 830,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity and is just one part of our overall renewable energy strategy.
2006
We reach out with Wireless Reach™.
By teaming with other organizations to bring the benefits of wireless to people around the world, we’re helping to bridge the digital divide. Today, we’re working with more than 200 organizations on 66 projects in 29 countries.
2007
We build our first LEED-certified project.
The building on our W Campus in San Diego was certified LEED Gold. In 2010, we took LEED global.
See how we are designing and operating our facilities today.
2007
We launch Snapdragon, extending battery life and saving energy.
Our game-changing mobile processing platform broke the gigahertz barrier. It delivered an unprecedented combination of mobile data processing, multimedia performance and 3G wireless capabilities. And it offered the lowest levels of power consumption for all-day battery life. In fact, it still does.
Read more about our efforts toward socially and environmentally responsible innovation.
2009
Our employee cafeterias are certified as Green Restaurants™.
We call them cafés. The Green Restaurant Association calls them sustainable. We earned that distinction by completing a rigorous 18-step certification process requiring us to install energy-efficient cooking equipment, buy local and organic and much more.
2010
We embed social responsibility in our Company structure.
Responsibility has always been part of our DNA. Now it’s officially part of our organization. Our new QSR structure ensures accountability and makes responsibility part of the strategic thinking at the highest levels of our Company.
