Perot Systems Succeeds In Tough Times By Helping Clients Cut Costs.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)(Q & A)

Byline: J. BONASIA

Ross Perot Jr. wears a size 10 1/2D, which is good, because the chief executive of Perot Systems Corp. has some big shoes to fill.

Perot's famous father, two-time presidential candidate Ross Perot, founded the company in 1988 after leaving industry giant Electronic Data Systems Corp. The elder Perot launched EDS way back in 1962.

Like EDS, Perot Systems is a tech services firm that handles systems integrations and other projects. The Dallas-based company had earnings of 53 cents a share on revenue of $1.1 billion in 2000. It's expected to announce 2001 earnings on Feb. 12.

Perot Sr. grabbed national attention as an independent presidential candidate in 1992 and 1996. His folksy, outsider jabs about "getting under the hood" and "sweeping the manure from the barn" of Washington struck a chord with voters jaded by politics as usual.

Perot Jr. has no political intentions. In 1982, after college, he became the first pilot to fly a helicopter around the world. Then he joined the Air Force and flew F-4 Phantom fighter jets.

The younger Perot went on to launch Hillwood Development Corp., a real estate development firm. He was the majority owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks from 1996 to 2000, and is still a minority owner. Hillwood now is developing a 70-acre complex that will include the future home of the Mavericks and Dallas Stars of the NHL.