Mr. Gary Harpst

He grew up in Findlay, Ohio and graduated from Ohio State University with B.A. and M.B.A. degrees in Business and Computer Science. He worked for the university from 1971 to 1978, implementing a computerized accounting system for the Treasurer's office and then returned to Findlay where he worked for Marathon Oil Co. as a systems analyst. In 1980, he and two friends, Jack Ridge and Vernon Strong co-founded TLB, Inc. TLB, which stands for ?The Lord?s Business?, was named to remind the founders why the business was started, which was to conduct the business according to biblical principles. The company was later renamed Solomon Software. Solomon designed and released its first accounting software products (Solomon I and II) for the CP/M operating system, on Z-80 microprocessors in 1981. In 1982, it began development of its first 16-bit accounting software product, (Solomon III). In 1984, Solomon III was introduced as the first microcomputer accounting software written in C, based on a single integrated relational database management system (MDBS), optimized specifically for the IBM Personal Computer and the MS-DOS operating system. By 1985, Solomon III was heralded by industry experts as the industry-leading accounting software for small businesses, having won the popular PC Magazine/Price Waterhouse ?Editors? Choice? award. Solomon III was well accepted by the market, establishing Solomon Software as one of the leading accounting software companies in the U.S. Solomon III was sold through an exclusive network of computer software resellers, many of whom continue to resell Solomon?s newest software products. Under his leadership, from 1980 through 2000, Solomon Software grew to more than 400 employees and $60 million in revenue, servicing over 40,000 clients worldwide. Solomon was sold to Great Plains Software in 2000. In 2001, Microsoft acquired the combined Great Plains and Solomon organizations and located a software development and support campus in Findlay until 2004. When Microsoft consolidated their development locations, he founded a new organization with these resources and established Plumbline Solutions, a software engineering service firm for Microsoft Independent Software Vendors (ISV) and Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS) Channel Partners. The former Solomon product continues to be developed and supported by Plumbline Consulting, as Microsoft Dynamics SL. He has since authored the award-winning "how-to" book ?Six Disciplines for Excellence?. He continues to be a persistent business visionary, teacher, and recognized thought-leader on management, leadership, and strategy execution.