Timeline of My Life
1964
Born in the foothills of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains.1982
Graduated from Gretna High School. My favorite subjects were Trigonometry and French—an unusual combination that reflected two lifelong interests: logic and creativity. I was accepted to Lynchburg College, but ultimately decided to take a different path.1983
Everything changed after watching the movie WarGames. Inspired by the film, I purchased my first computer: an Atari 1200XL with 64KB of RAM and not much else. By today's standards it was incredibly limited, but to me it felt like the future had arrived. I taught myself BASIC programming and spent countless hours experimenting, learning, and breaking things just to see how they worked. One of my first projects was modifying the startup sequence so the Atari logo animation would continue looping until a key was pressed. It wasn't exactly revolutionary software, but seeing those rainbow colors scroll endlessly across the screen convinced me that computers could be both technical and artistic. I was hooked.1984
Started college at Central Virginia Community College. I initially pursued computer programming but eventually migrated toward engineering. During this period I was introduced to AutoCAD for the first time. It was love at first sight. Computer-aided design combined everything I enjoyed: technology, creativity, precision, and problem solving.1986
Accepted my first professional position with Wiley & Wilson, Architects, Engineers, and Planners. At the time, I was one of only two people in the company using AutoCAD. The other user wasn't particularly fond of it. I, on the other hand, couldn't get enough. As the firm worked with multiple CAD systems—including Intergraph and VersaCAD—I began writing AutoLISP programs to automate drawing conversions and repetitive tasks. It was my first real experience using software development to solve practical business problems. Without realizing it, I was already becoming a systems builder.1989
Co-founded Cadworx, Inc. with two friends, Barry L. and Mark M. Each of us invested $5,000 to launch the company. Mark exited the business almost immediately, and Barry later accepted his dream position with Babcock & Wilcox. That left me carrying the company forward on my own. The late 1980s were an exciting time for computer graphics. I became deeply involved in 3D design using AutoCAD. Creating models required enormous patience, and rendering a single image could take hours—or longer. I also experimented with Autodesk Animator and other early visualization tools, gaining firsthand experience with computer graphics years before they became commonplace.1990–1993
Cadworx continued to grow. As our client base expanded, I hired more than a dozen employees and contractors, both in-house and on-site. The company began taking on increasingly complex projects across multiple industries. For the first time, I experienced what it meant to build not just software and drawings, but an organization.1993
With the assistance of Greenwood Partnership, Cadworx secured a contract supporting the Veterans Administration in Hampton, Virginia. The opportunity brought me to Hampton Roads and opened the door to a new chapter of my life and career.1994
After deciding to remain in Hampton Roads, I purchased a duplex in Chic's Beach, Virginia Beach, for $108,000. At the time it was simply a practical decision. Looking back, it became one of the best investments I ever made.1995
The Internet arrived. Like many people, I saw websites and email for the first time. Unlike many people, I immediately understood that this would change everything. The web wasn't just another technology. It was a new communications platform, a publishing platform, a business platform, and eventually a social platform—all rolled into one. I knew then that it was going to be huge. And I wanted to be part of it.To be continued...