{{Short description|American businessman (1949–2017)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2017}} {{Infobox person |name = Neal Patterson |image = Neal Patterson (Cerner).jpg |alt = |caption = Patterson in 2012 |birth_name = |birth_date = {{Birth date|1949|12|10}} |birth_place = Anthony, Kansas |death_date = {{Death date and given age|2017|7|9|67}} |death_place = |occupation = Businessman |known_for = CEO of Cerner }} '''Neal L. Patterson''' (December 10, 1949<ref name="Obit">{{cite web|title=Neal L. Patterson|url=https://blogs.cerner.com/blog/neal-patterson-obituary/|website=The Cerner Blog|language=en|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170712214311/https://blogs.cerner.com/blog/neal-patterson-obituary/|archivedate=July 12, 2017|df=mdy-all}}</ref> – July 9, 2017) was an American businessman who was CEO of Cerner Corporation, a Kansas City-based medical software corporation. Patterson was also owner of the Sporting Kansas City soccer team.<ref name=death>{{cite news|last1=Cummings|first1=Ian|last2=Vockrodt|first2=Steve|last3=McDowell|first3=Sam|title='A profound loss': Cerner CEO Neal Patterson dies from cancer at age 67|url=http://www.kansascity.com/news/business/article160386359.html|accessdate=July 10, 2017|work=Kansas City Star|language=en|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709181520/http://www.kansascity.com/news/business/article160386359.html|archivedate=July 9, 2017|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
==Early life== Patterson grew up on the family farm in South Central Kansas near Manchester, Oklahoma, and received bachelor's and master's degrees from Oklahoma State University in 1971 and 1972. Following a stint with Arthur Andersen, he and Arthur Andersen colleagues Cliff Illig and Paul Gorup founded Cerner in 1979.<ref>http://www.bizjournals.com/gen/executive.html?excode=556ec5a235694b648740ba66e73f5d3c&market=kansascity{{dead link|date=July 2017}}<nowiki/>{{Dead link|date=March 2022}}</ref>{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}}
==Military service== Patterson served in the Army National Guard during Vietnam, though only served on active duty during basic training.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slideshare.net/histalk/104-cerner-part-1|title=104. cerner, part 1|first=Tim|last=Histalk|publisher=|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150724030720/http://www.slideshare.net/histalk/104-cerner-part-1|archivedate=July 24, 2015|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
==Management== Patterson was featured in the ''USA Today'' article titled "Scandals lead execs to ''Atlas Shrugged''" as a member of a group of CEOs who have a working knowledge of Ayn Rand's ''Atlas Shrugged''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/2002-09-23-ayn-rand_x.htm|title=USATODAY.com - Scandals lead execs to 'Atlas Shrugged'|publisher=USA Today|first=Del|last=Jones|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812192106/http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/2002-09-23-ayn-rand_x.htm|archivedate=August 12, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> He became a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity at Oklahoma State University.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rushpikes.com/page.php?page_id=2757|title=Welcome to Pi Kappa Alpha, Iota Theta Chapter!<!-- Bot generated title -->|publisher=|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060708020126/http://www.rushpikes.com/page.php?page_id=2757|archivedate=July 8, 2006|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
Patterson is infamous for an email<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1263917.stm|title=BBC News - AMERICAS - Boss's e-mail bites back|date=April 6, 2001 |publisher=BBC|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090208192101/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1263917.stm|archive-date=February 8, 2009|df=mdy-all}}</ref> scolding managers for not coming to work before 8 am and leaving before 5 pm, now a prominent example used when discussing email netiquette. On the day that the email was posted to Yahoo!, the company's market cap fell by over 22%<ref>{{cite web|last1=Fennelly |first1=Carole |title=Unix security: Proprietary email |url=http://www.itworld.com/Sec/UIR010427securitynl2/ |publisher=ITworld.com |date=June 28, 2003 |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20030628164117/http://www.itworld.com/Sec/UIR010427securitynl2/ |archivedate=June 28, 2003 }}</ref> from a high of US$1.5 billion.<ref name="E-Mail Rules">{{cite book|last1=Flynn|first1=Nancy|last2=Kahn|first2=Randolph|title=E-mail Rules: A Business Guide to Managing Policies, Security, and Legal Issues for E-mail and Digital Communication|date=2003|publisher=AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn|isbn=9780814471883|url=https://archive.org/details/emailrules00nanc|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/emailrules00nanc/page/45 45]|quote=netiquette.|language=en}}</ref>
In April 2010, ''Forbes'' named Patterson fourth on its annual list of "America's Best-Performing Bosses" based on a formula for calculating which executives delivered the best shareholder value relative to their total compensation. Factors included stock performance relative to industry peers over the past six years, annualized stock performance during the leader's total tenure and performance relative to the S&P 500 over that time, and total compensation over the past six years.<ref>{{cite web|title=In Pictures: America's Best-Performing Bosses|url=https://www.forbes.com/2010/04/27/best-performing-chief-executive-compensation-leadership-boss-10-best-performing-ceos_slide_5.html|website=Forbes|language=en|date=April 28, 2010|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100503001337/http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/27/best-performing-chief-executive-compensation-leadership-boss-10-best-performing-ceos_slide_5.html|archivedate=May 3, 2010|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=DeCarlo |first1=Scott |title=Bang For The Buck - Forbes.com |url=https://www.forbes.com/2010/04/27/best-performing-chief-executive-shareholders-leadership-boss-10-bang-for-the-buck.html |website=Forbes |date=January 23, 2013 |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130123143256/http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/27/best-performing-chief-executive-shareholders-leadership-boss-10-bang-for-the-buck.html |archivedate=January 23, 2013 }}</ref>
==Sporting Kansas City== On August 31, 2006, Patterson and five others purchased Sporting Kansas City (then known as the Kansas City Wizards), a Major League Soccer team, from Lamar Hunt. The other members of the ownership group at the time of purchase were Cliff Illig, Rock Island Capital’s Robb Heineman, Greg Maday, David French, and Pat Curran, founder of C3 Holdings. The group stated its intention to keep Sporting Kansas City in the Kansas City area.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Brinson |first1=Nate |title=American Soccer News - Kansas City Wizards |url=http://www.americansoccernews.net/mls/wizards/060331wiz-preview.shtml |date=September 27, 2007 |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927142935/http://www.americansoccernews.net/mls/wizards/060331wiz-preview.shtml |archivedate=September 27, 2007 }}</ref>
==Death== Patterson died on July 9, 2017, from complications from soft-tissue cancer, which was diagnosed in January 2016<ref>{{cite news|last1=Stafford|first1=Diane|title=Cerner co-founder Neal Patterson surprises crowd at health conference|url=http://www.kansascity.com/news/business/article115229818.html|accessdate=July 12, 2017|work=Kansas City Star|language=en|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161120092432/http://www.kansascity.com/news/business/article115229818.html|archivedate=November 20, 2016|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and that he had been previously treated for.<ref name="death" />
==References== {{reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, Neal}} Category:1949 births Category:2017 deaths Category:American chief executives in technology Category:Objectivists Category:People from Anthony, Kansas Category:People from the Kansas City metropolitan area Category:People from Grant County, Oklahoma Category:Oklahoma State University alumni Category:Sporting Kansas City Category:American soccer chairmen and investors Category:Sporting Kansas City non-playing staff