Mike, our CEO and founder, brings a marine background and a long and successful career in database design and software development to Traveller Software.
Although now a full time cruiser, he started his professional life in the Coast Guard where he rose to the rank of Chief Petty Officer before being given a commission. As a commissioned officer, he rose to the rank of Lieutenant before resigning to pursue a career in software development. During his time in the Coast Guard, Mike specialized in navigation servicing as Navigator and/or Operations Officer on 5 Coast Guard Cutters and developed a specialization in Aids to Navigation. He taught ship handling and was part of the Aids to Navigation training team. He also developed software to assist in the maintenance of the thousands of aids to navigation managed by the Coast Guard. He was awarded the Coast Guard Achievement medal for his work in developing a project and resource management system for Coast Guard Headquarters.
After leaving the Coast Guard he went to work in the software industry developing database software for telemarketing, accounting, and professional billing systems. Eventually, he founded M Data, Inc to develop the PrintSmith management software for the printing industry. From 1984 until 2004, PrintSmith software, consisting of estimating, accounting, inventory and point of sail functionality in a network environment, became the global leader in print management software. When Mike left M Data, the system ran on Macintosh and Windows computers. It had been translated into 16 languages in more than 30 countries. In the United States the software was taught in print management courses in several universities.
After selling M Data, Mike settled down to a quiet, peaceful life of sailing and exploration. To his horror, he discovered that this entails quite a bit of work maintaining the boat and making repairs during these idyllic passages and he, and other E Sea Tracker users have discovered the value of keeping track of all the different places and prices at which parts are purchased. Keeping track of these repairs and managing a rather large parts inventory with parts suppliers all over the world proved difficult and time consuming so he decided to develop software to assist in that endeavor. He found it invaluable on his boat and continued improving it. After three years of continuous development he realized that other boat owners could use a system like this and E Sea Tracker was born. Since then, he and Traveller Software have continued to improve the product.