Resumed my primary role as CEO of Luhring SurvivalWare in April 2021, while still maintaining a parttime commitment to Issuetrak to continue as their CFO.SurvivalWare 2021 has been released after six years of development.Luhring SurvivalWare, Inc. was started in 2002 to help small companies survive cash flow problems. It has evolved into a powerful financial model language and analysis platform.

Issuetrak is a fast-paced, agile software company based in Norfolk, Virginia – right next to Va. Beach. We’ve got a 20-year track record of successfully developing issue-tracking and process management software for companies of all sizes. We’re stoked on innovation, and we love data, and we harness the power of both to develop a next generation product. We are a customer-centric company with a dedicated vision of creating the most robust and versatile software solution for our clients. And, we aren’t afraid to take risks to make this happen.Although I’ve been involved at Issuetrak as a board member since 2002, over the past few years, I’ve supported the company more directly – first as a chief financial officer, then as vice president of sales and marketing, and most recently, as chief customer advocate.My background in financial modeling and analysis aligns naturally with my role as chief financial officer, and heading up the sales team allowed me an opportunity to understand how our clients depend on Issuetrak to automate and customize their workflow to streamline processes around organizational issues and problem solving.I’ve since segued into the role of customer advocate, building on my knowledge of our customer base and creating a new way to focus the future of our product vision – with the direct feedback and viewpoints of our clients.Traveling across the country, meeting face-to-face with our software clients, learning about their pain points, and understanding their unique challenges allows me to provide critical input to the business development team at Issuetrak to help shape our product roadmap decisions and improve our service offerings. My conversations with clients lead directly to real improvements and changes in the way our company serves our users.

InAlySys was a licensee of the ENCORE! calculation engine from Ferox. They developed a nifty Business Intelligence package by piggybacking a model generator on top of the calculation engine, and developing a "cube" data structure to speed up multi-unit analytics. I worked with Sales Engineers to understand the needs of prospects and demonstrate how the Personal Analyst could turn their disparate business data into actionable intelligence - or something like that.It was a product ahead of its time, and the company shut its doors in November, 2002 after burning through all the venture capital in an attempt to juice sales.I was recruited for my modeling expertise and deep knowledge of the ENCORE! calculation engine. I took the job with the understanding I could keep Ferox operating on the side to serve existing customers. I also needed a life raft at the time, a little financial security, My oldest of 4 kids was entering her second year of college,

Nose to the grindstone in the aftermath of the lawsuit of 1983. Further developed ENCORE! with a small team and landed big name customers such as Federal Express, the World Bank, Texaco, Loblaw Companies, and Wachovia Bank.Developed the Ferox Consolidation System in 1995 using ENCORE! as the core. Did a deal with Drs Arjan Hordijk, BV in the Netherlands to enhance the consolidation system and sell it as WebFact in Europe.

Started Ferox with no clear idea of what I wanted to do with it other than harness the power of microcomputers which had just come on to the market. My first PC was a Radio Shack TRS-80, but I quickly switched to the Apple II for its color output and the availability of floppy disk drives.With a second mortgage and working wife, I had a 6 month runway to figure things out.1980 - pushed by consulting customers to come up with an lower cost alternative to rented time on large mainframe computers, released the first version of RCS - the Micromodeler. The first customer was the Marriott Hotel chain, followed by a bank and a Fortune 500 manufacturer. Signed a deal at the end of the year with Intelligence UK to distribute Micromodeler in Europe.1981 - negotiated a deal to distribute RCS in North America with a book publishing company, who renamed the product "DSS/Finance."1982 - rapid growth followed the introduction of the IBM PC; head count reached 25 people by the end of the year.1983 - embroiled in a nasty lawsuit with the book publisher. Settled by giving up the original product. Developed ENCORE! as a replacement product. Had to shrink company to less than 10 people by the end of the year.

Did customer support and sales support for the Washington DC branch office of Comshare, a computer timesharing company. Helped customers develop models in FCS - a financial modeling language developed by EPS Consultants in the U.K. Also helped customer do analysis with a software package called Tactics, a Comshare product for doing statistical analysis, and an early competitor to SAS.Promoted to Financial Specialist to concentrate on the fast growing Financial Modeling market, where revenues were increasing at 70% to 80% per year,In Spring of 1979, promoted to Branch Technical Manager. Figured if I had to put up with the people problems of being a manager, I may as well do it for myself. Left to start my own company within 6 months. Worked out a gradual exit so as not to leave then in the lurch, and to keep some cash flowing. 4 days a week in September, then 3 days a week in October, and 2 days a week in November and December of 1979.

Ugh!!!!Beltway Bandits.Just happy to escape.

Sold Kirby vacuum cleaners door to door for 4 summers to earn money for college. Won top salesman award for the Capitol Region (DC, Va., Md, West Va.) in June, 1971 at the age of 17. Won numerous trips and trophies at the Norfolk, Va. distributorship. Sang Kirby songs at daily sales meetings to get motivated, "Pretty Shiny Kirby.." and other hits provided entertainment in the "off-season" for my college buddies when combined with pitchers of beer.