My career began after graduating the University with the task of designing the Pizza Hut Point-of-Sale (POS) computer system and moving them into a distributed network to manage the store, sales and employee management. The company that hired me was developing fiber optic communication wiring and was working with other national brands like Winchell's Donuts and Denny's without success. I was given full responsibility to design, test, implement, and train users on the system.
In the end, the new system sold to PepsiCo for $40 million, marking the largest POS sale in history. However, it was a bittersweet ending for me. My American Dream of working hard only made others wealthy, as I was fired after the sale went through, with just two months' severance pay in my pocket.
After being fired for delivering a company's only successful project, which sold for $40 million, I decided to start my own systems consulting company. I founded Digital Performance to provide consulting services to the State of Utah. I designed two new computer systems to manage the State of Utah's Professional Licensure and Enforcement of issued licenses. I conducted an analysis of seven state agencies, discovering bottlenecks and providing solutions.
The work was filled with long hours, but I knew I was working for myself. I provided services to the Department of Transportation and the Department of Business Regulation, with Bill Dunn as Executive Director and Peter Van Alstyne as Deputy Director. My first assignment was to review all divisions within the department, identify data flow bottlenecks, and offer solutions.
During my time at Main Hurdman, which was contracted by the Department of Energy (DOE), I had the intriguing task of performing audits for contractors managing nuclear disposal sites. Often, my reviews were conducted under armed guards, in rooms designated for security clearance, and with locked filing cabinets. While this aspect of the job was fascinating, other tasks were accounting-related. As I am no accountant and dislike the topic, I quickly realized that Main Hurdman was not the place for me.
Despite being a one-man show, my new company, Digital Performance, received interesting contracts. On larger contracts, I hired contractors to assist, specifically with the Utah Transportation Division, which was tasked with moving the Department off mini-computers onto Local Area Networks and new software. I organized and managed many outside instructors and technical support staff to ensure the successful implementation of these projects.
As my reputation grew, I was eventually awarded a pre-approved contract, the first of its kind in the State of Utah, authorized with an $800,000 limit. This prestigious contract was only offered to four companies. The other three were large national firms, and then there was me and Digital Performance
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of those that built the foundation that give us opportunity.
John F Cruz
Progress is the end product of an individual's developed innovation and vision brought into the materal world.
John F Cruz
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