Like many startups, SAS Institute began as an all-hands operation. Its small staff — future billionaires included — would line up bucket brigade-style to relay boxes of user manuals into its first office, inside a building on Hillsborough Street across from North Carolina State University.
Cofounder Jane Helwig directed where each box should go. At other times, everyone helped pack and ship reels of magnetic tape for customers to run on bulky IBM mainframe computers. Administrative assistants fueled their efforts with weekly snack runs for peanut butter, crackers and soda.
“It was very fast-paced,” said Dianne Johnson, who joined SAS in 1979 as Employee No. 14. “People were very excited about the product.”…