(Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated, Palo Alto, CA, www.parc.com) Founded in 1970, PARC is a Xerox subsidiary involved in high-tech research and development. Although Xerox's headquarters are in Stamford, Connecticut, and manufacturing and marketing are in Rochester, New York, PARC is located in the heart of Silicon Valley.

Over the years, PARC has made significant contributions to the computer industry, including the development of the Smalltalk programming language, graphical user interface (GUI), Ethernet networking and laser printing. It continues to be on the cutting edge of technology. Although well known throughout the high-tech world, PARC was one of several Xerox research centers until early 2002, when it was spun off as a separate subsidiary. See Xerox.