BROCHURE

Unorthodox Brochure providing detailed information about an invaluable resource

Do you NOT understand ALL the details of how technology can and should affect your company?
Do you NOT understand ALL details of how technology is currently deployed within your organization?
Are you NOT able to visualize ALL the ways in which technology can help you achieve ROI, and prioritize them?
Are new profitable relationships, fresh practical ideas for business opportunities, or streamlining WELCOME?
Are you NOT having fun working with young HotShots leaving you to pay the price for their mistakes?

If you answered YES to any of the above questions, then you need:

Done correctly, use of Technology is NOT: A business model, a goal in itself, a religion, a jihad, an addiction, a nirvana, a black hole, a money pit, salvation, paradise or many of the other things it is misreputed to be by many. It should not lock you in or get in your way, it should empower you and those you work with.

Technology IS: A toolkit, the use of which requires knowledge, experience and the making of a series of educated, deliberate and well planned choices. Correct implementation of technology includes overcoming challenges to the effectiveness of your business. This is done by improving or replacing business functions and procedures by integrating technology, and always keeping in mind how the core business is best served. This includes consideration of training and personnel issues. If done well, the proper application of technology will allow your people to work more effectively with customers, vendors, and each other than they ever have before. This facilitates moving the company forward smoothly as new technologies become available, and integrating them well. If done badly, it could serve your business with stagnation or even a death sentence. Fortunately, proper use of technology is a good way to improve ROI profoundly, allowing your company to operate more effectively than your competitors do. After all, BUSINESS is WAR.

Just as the industrial revolution still continues, the technology revolution is far from over. It will yet dramatically change the world much more profoundly than it already has to date. Only those that see and implement early while making a minimum of mistakes, and those with huge amounts of reserves to adapt and acquire late in the game will survive the transitions that are yet to come down the pike. Now is the time to seek competent advice.

Who is Mark Bolzern?

Mark has been in technical and business management roles in the computing industry for nearly 30 years, and has assisted companies in many other industries to automate. He has worked with Unix and the Internet for 25 years, PC computing and LAN technology since their inception, Linux since 1994, and E-Commerce since well before inception. Mark holds a Bachelors Degree in Electrical Engineering and has been involved in a number of successful computer related consulting, invention, networking, design, manufacture and service businesses. Mark is available on a consulting retainer, or employable full time for the right opportunity.

Mark's advice has been used to make and also to save many millions of dollars. His cross-industry knowledge of technology and business, plus personal acquaintance with many major players in the computer industry serve anyone who hires him well. Mark is one of those unique individuals who does not typically fit within the confines of existing job descriptions at most companies. However, Mark is well worth retaining as a consultant, or creating a senior executive level position for. Eventually most companies will have such a position which will be as essential as Legal, Accounting, Marketing or Sales, perhaps more, because the new world of technology transforms all of these other areas. It is best NOT to fill this position from inside as people from inside tend to be blinded by how things are already being done, rather than having fresh new vision and ideas. The danger of disruption from an outsider can be minimal to non-existent, and carefully managed if the person being retained really knows what they are doing.

Mark has served as, but is not only a "Chief Executive Officer", "Chief Technology Officer", "Chief Information Officer", "Chief Operations Officer", "MIS Manager", "Marketing Director", "Sales Executive", "Sales Manager", "Director of R&D", "New Products Development Manager", "System Administrator", "System Architect", "Project Manager", "Hardware Technician", or "Programmer". Mark can and has performed in all of these positions and more, in both private and public company settings. It is not possible to train someone to do what Mark does as Master Technologist, Business Strategist and Visionary. They either have it or they don't (usually think they do, proof is in the pudding). Mark is one of the best.

Mark:

• is concerned that this brochure makes him look egotistical, he's not. Since the reader's quick ability to spot how Mark could be useful to them is paramount, as much useful information is presented in as small a space as possible. This brochure has been carefully screened to contain only facts, and defensible / referenceable opinions
• is semi-retired at 43 years old since selling his latest company LinuxMall.com, and is casually trolling for the right opportunity to work hard and add significant value to a team he chooses to join.
• no longer wishes the stress that accompanies running an entire company, so rather than start another new company, Mark would prefer to work hard with existing management in a promising company to aid them in growing the company, and taking every advantage of what technology has to offer.
• is willing to work at any level, if the work is interesting, willing to do whatever is required if the end game is intriguing.
• will join a business only if he believes he can be a significant asset in the quest for mutual gain. Startups and early stage companies are ok, provided he is not asked to run the entire company.
• is in a financial position to accept reduced salary in return for equity if a good case is made.
• has a substantial contact network in the computer industry, and also among people who provide financing for companies with good business plans, Mark might even step up to the plate himself.
• will discover and propose new opportunities for mutual profitability in existing as well as new relationships
• has had a lot of experience that will apply to your situation. Without being a "know it all", he adapts quickly and knows what questions to ask. Once the questions are posed, Mark knows how to quickly find practical answers that make business sense, with the goal of the best possible ROI (Return on investment) including transitional issues.
• is motivated to improve any situation he agrees to work on, and does not hesitate to say what he thinks (constructive & diplomatic), even if it is not what people want to hear. He expects the same candor in return.
• has been a finalist for "Entrepreneur of the Year" more than once, and has a network of proven past employees potentially available to any company he joins.
• is very cost-effective, if not he will realize it quickly and offer to phase out, or go on to a position where he is cost effective long before someone else discovers this is the case, as he dislikes wasting anyone's time or money.
• can visualize computer technology in business, and how to practically apply it (or see traps & dead ends, and why to shy away from them) to conserve money and improve business processes. Mark sees how the all aspects of the complete business will be impacted by these changes. He has consistently been involved with practical formative technologies before it was believed that they were of significance, and helped to develop them. Mark has successfully shunned dead end technologies while his peers saddled companies with them. He has always been able to recognize as well as anticipated how to position for easy transitions when paradigm shifts in technology start to occur.
• has extensive experience and knowledge of business & business processes in all areas from MIS and sales, to administration, accounting, workflow, and more. He has been in large companies and small as employee, consultant, programmer, systems analyst, system administrator, president, MIS manager among others. He has designed and/or written a number of commercially sold accounting, contact management, customer relations, networking and other software packages, and integrated systems. Mark has conceived and built successful Internet web sites, and commerce servers, as well as done technical support. Mark has been top sales person in software companies and done systems engineering.
• has helped build several industries from the start including PC computing, the Internet and Linux/OpenSource.
• has built a number of companies from the ground up, one to the point of becoming a publicly traded company.
• prefers a semi-management, technical position, where he can focus on strategic tasks. Mark is imaginative and will come up with effective new business and product ideas. Mark also will identify internal business issues and how to practically solve them using information systems long before others see them.
• is an experienced and internationally known conference speaker and public presenter. He has spoken by request at many major computer industry events, including a recent keynote presentation at PCExpo 2000 in New York.
• is familiar with product design, marketing, sales, support and implementation at all levels.
• has created and executed a number of marketing campaigns from conception to completion.
• undertands how to use and do both PR and Community Relations.
• has been the top salesman in a number of organizations in a very short time from entering the organization.
• enjoys road trips, has driven virtually every mile of interstate in the USA, knows most of the major convention centers in North America and their surrounding facilities
• has made and managed the arrangements as an exhibitor at most major computer industry related trade shows.
• has helped create and run conferences using hotels, resorts and convention centers, interfacing with their people.
• has written and supported nationally sold major accounting and business software.
• has built inventory, asset and bar code based control systems
• understands systems design, including all aspects of implementation.
• is a qualified system and network administrator with Unix, Linux and Microsoft.
• pioneered in e-commerce, email newsletter marketing, and search engine positioning. Built what was at once one of the busiest and most profitable specialty retailers on the net.
• has been published in many major technology magazines & Journals. His name is recognized worldwide in computer industry circles.
• is at his best when given the authority within a company to advise the people at all levels. This is done while investigating, experimenting with and visualizing how new technologies will affect business processes and potential. Mark is generally given free reign to study various areas of the company, interact with systems, data, employees and customers, as well as to attend seminars, and test promising technologies.
• desires constructive feedback. Will make mistakes, own up to them when realized, and make good if at all possible.
• Became aware of Linux early on and recognized the potential of this revolutionary operating system. Mark subsequently created LinuxPro and then LinuxMall.com to serve as a catalysts to help grow the Linux industry, each went to the top of their class.
• is very widely known, considered by Linux Journal to be one of the founding fathers of Linux, is personal friends with Linus, Maddog, Alan Cox, Bob Young, Larry Augustin, and other well known names in the Linux/OpenSource space.
• was initially the primary marketing force behind Linux International, and started the local Denver Linux group CLUE.
• has helped start several trade shows including ALS, LinuxWorld, and started the Linux Pavilion at Comdex which has evolved into the tremendously successful Linux Business Expo, now co-located with Comdex.
• is still highly involved in many other roles in the Linux Community.
• is an excellent choice to sit on Boards and Advisory Councils of complementary organizations.

A few examples of advice by Mark in the past:

Please understand that the items below were selected as some of the most dramatically unbeleivable pieces of advice Mark has given at the time they were given. In retrospect they proved accurate and show how it is best to trust Mark's visionary abilities. There were also many thousands of other advisories that were accepted and implemented by companies Mark worked with, making or saving them millions in the process. They are not being mentioned here because the credit for success was left with the people being advised.

• Mark advised Digital and Xerox that their early attempts at PCs were doomed for failure and why. They disagreed, did not make he needed changes, and ultimately failed.
• Mark told Visicorp that Lotus was going to eat their lunch, They did just as Digital & Xerox had.
• Mark told Corel it was too early for an Office Suite written in Java to succeed, and a year later after losing their shirts they scrapped the project.
• In the '70s Mark was associated with Alohanet and DARPA where the development of the fundamental underlying protocols of both Ethernet and the Internet originally came about.
• Mark helped deploy early electronic mail systems along, as well as services that are now called ISPs.
• Mark has often been dismissed by companies and management that knew better ... only to find out otherwise after it was too late for them.
• IBM and others didn't catch the vision when Mark presented his forms replication engine based on a Usenet News collaboration engine before Ray Ozzie did Lotus notes. Years later they bought Lotus to get Notes... essentially the same thing.
• Burroughs didn't listen when Mark told them that the PC would be the death of them if they didn't clone it and start integrating it heavily into their product mix, only to be swallowed up by Unisys.
• Many INCLUDING IBM laughed when Mark said that the PC would become what most people used, while big iron would become used only for heavy transaction or compute loads, and as large data servers for PCs in LANs. That Microsoft would become a force to be reckoned with, and that network computing ultimately would win out.
• Mark advised IBM when they first released AIX, and through several early versions that fatal flaws had been introduced because of IBM's misunderstandings of Unix. These things were slowly fixed, and by version 4.0 AIX finally became a respectable tool, rather than the problem that it initially had been.
• Price Waterhouse approached and retained Mark because of his reptuation, to write two pivotal chapters of their esteemed "Technology Forecast" in 1996. In disbelief, they edited out many of Mark's predictions before publication, only to see them come true in the timeframe Mark claimed.
• Linux and OpenSource are not business models. What they are is a toolkit that allows existing business models to become more efficient, and also makes possible some new ones. Unfortunately the VC rush killed a crop of promising companies by over-financing competitors that never did have good business models, and expecting too much growth too quickly from those that did have good business models. The fundamental reasons for adopting these technologies where they can make a difference in lowering costs and improving efficiency are stronger today than they ever were.

Employment History:

Following are specific and significant positions held for substantial amounts of time: In each of the following positions Mark worked with many of his employer's customers and their businesses across many industries, usually in a consulting role and in virtually every conceivable situation.

President and CEO, LinuxMall.com: LinuxMall was a substantial E-Commerce company, a reseller to the Linux Community worldwide. LinuxMall was the largest company in the world of its specific type. Mark started the company and was responsible for overseeing all areas of this rise from inception, through venture capital and finally its current public company existence. This includes all areas of Public Relations, Marketing, Sales, Software and Systems development, Human resources, Finance and more. Unfortunately, subsequent to its sale by Mark, the new management destroyed the company by making too many changes too fast.

President, WorkGroup Solutions, Inc: WorkGroup Solutions was an international software distributor, software developer and original owner of LinuxMall. Mark was responsible for overseeing and developing all areas of this company's business, and its products. Products included LinuxPro (which won Byte Magazine's coveted "Best of Comdex" Award in '95), AcctOnIt, 321Contact, WEBworx, and also programming tools for FlagShip -- SQLkit, WebKit and FoxKit.

Technology Advisor & Consultant, CREICO & Mosaic: CREICO is Colorado Real Estate and Investment company. Mark was responsible for all phases of MIS, including developing new systems, and advising on new technology. Accounting software was written, central corporate information systems built, remote systems created and more. Mark actually worked for related company Mosaic Business Systems as their lead consultant, and served other clients as well.

President, General Computer Services, Inc: General Computer Services (GCS) is Mark's own corporation which has served as a holding company for other companies, and as a platform from which Mark provides consulting services as needed. It is at times active, and at other times inactive depending on circumstances, and the wishes of employers. GCS has been called upon by all manner of computer dealers, consultants, editors, and others in technology positions for advice, and to solve the hard problems that no one else seems to be able to deal with. Rates range from $100 to $500 per hour depending on the task at hand. GCS also holds title to or has sold a number of commercial software packages that Mark has developed over the years. Included are Construction Management Software, two modules of the very popular Champion Accounting software, PC Communicator, and more. In 1978, predicting the rise of Unix in a business setting, GCS obtained one of the world's largest Unix installation and consulting contracts with the State of Alaska, using AT&T equipment, Oracle dealership, and other authorizations, while also simultaneously establishing one of the world's earliest ISPs (Internet Service Providers). GCS had already been using BBS for electronic commerce. This came to an abrupt halt when the AT&T Hardware did not work as represented. Mark moved from his home in Alaska to Colorado where he has been since. After years of lawsuits it was proved that Mark's failure was actually the result of a micro-processor bug similar to, but more dastardly than the well known Intel Pentium Processor's divide bug that got so much press. Due to Mark's technical skills GCS was finally able to prove that AT&T had known of this bug well in advance of it creating the problems we experienced. AT&T, fearing the press, finally settled out of court just before trial proceedings started.

Manager, ComputerLand: Mark was responsible for Sales, Human Resources, PR, Marketing, Inventory control, overseeing accounting and much more. This position terminated when the owner of the company was forced to sell his company due to his high stakes gambling habit. Prior to this, with the owner's permission Mark had formed GCS, as a related consulting company, which Mark continued.

Field Engineer, IBM: Mark was hired by IBM over the objections of several managers because he was the second highest scorer ever on the examination they administered to all prospective field engineers at the time. The objection was that they would never be able to keep Mark interested in being a routine field engineer. As an acid test, IBM trained Mark on nearly every piece of equipment that they serviced all at once (very unusual). Within a few months the IBM PC was announced, and Mark saw it for what it would become, however IBM did not. IBM said that the PC would never be a mainstream product. Mark was told he only had two choices to work with it, ComputerLand and the Boca Raton plant. Either would serve IBM's interests. It is ironic that IBM did not see the potential in the very PC revolution they would later be credited by many with starting.

Radio Technician, Motorola: / Mobile Radio Installation Technician, Communications Engineering:

Two companies, similar jobs. Mark was responsible for engineering installing, repairing and maintaining private radio systems and networks for customer vehicles and offices, including antenna towers and remote site generator maintenance.

Education, Organizations, Recreation, Citizenship & Languages, Faith and Relocation:

Formal Education: Mark holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Specialties were radio communications, digital computing technologies, and power systems. Mark also attended California Polytechnic in Pomona, and University of Alaska in Anchorage. Mark holds numerous certificates from Novell, Microsoft, SCO, Hewlett Packard, IBM, various flavors of Unix, Networking and more, many by test out due to self study and experience rather than taking classes. Student Computer User & Support, University of Alaska: As a student at the University of Alaska, Community College of Anchorage, and even at West Anchorage High School, Mark worked with computers, the first being a 4 bit Monroe 1880 used in property surveying. Over the following few years Mark helped implement and used an early statewide multi campus email system, and then in turn employed this email system to create a virtual PC user's group (one of the first) by writing the communications software UACNCAP for Apple II, and giving it away for free. The IBM PC version was done when the PC became available and later sold commercially under the name PC Communicator. This software was advanced enough that it is still in use today by several universities. It was the first known package that actually bootstrapped itself into a PC from a network, and then provided for early PC-LAN and WAN functionality. As an Electrical Engineering student specializing in digital systems, Mark also worked on in the UAF Alohanet node, a packet radio equipped Data General Nova. Together with the University of Oregon in Portland, and the University of Hawaii, packet protocols were developed to allow computers at each of the facilities to reliably communicate over the horizon with each other via radio waves bounced off the stratosphere. These Packet protocols were later adopted by DARPA for Arpanet, Xerox at Palo Alto Labs, and 3Com. They are now the fundamental underlying protocols (CSMA/CD) used by Ethernet and the Internet together with TCP/IP allowing computers to converse with each other all around the world.

Informal Education: Mark has been involved in most areas of computing, and the development of many since they were invented. As a result formal education was never necessary or even available that early on. His practical experience, skill, talent and wide ranging successes are worth far more to a potential employer than any amount of formal education.

Organizations: Board Member LI: Mark holds a seat on the board of Linux International, starting as an early member and aided significantly in the meteoric rise of Linux from obscurity, to its position as the still somewhat unknown #2 Computer Operating system in the world today. Netscape was so impressed they re-modeled the distribution of their industry leading Web browser after the Linux way of doing things (too late to save them though). Infoworld Magazine also gave their annual awards "operating system of the year" and "best support" to members of the Linux Community. Advisory Board Member , Linux Professional Institute: Mark helped found, and serves as a Board Advisor to LPI, which is the most significant certifications body for Linux technical people. Founder, CLUE: Mark also founded the Colorado Linux Users and Enthusiasts User Group. Those who think Linux has lost ground because Venture Capitalists temporarily created a bubble of attention are sorely mistaken. The fundamentals that brought Linux to their attention in the first place are very much intact, and the use of Linux and Open Source is growing at a rate not equaled by any other computing technology. Founder, Alaska Computer Society: Immediately upon starting with ComputerLand, Mark founded the first IBM PC user's group in the world within days of the PC's being announced. It was at one time the largest PC user group in the world, later to be eclipsed by the Boston Computer Society. ACS still exists and is going strong today.

Recreation & Hobbies:

Avid skier and one time amateur freestyler, auto mechanic, race driver, computer design, building & repair, programming, church & service projects. Built his own original Alaska home by himself (no contractors). Built and runs his own computer network in his home, including a Linux Firewall, and a number of Linux and Microsoft based systems sharing files and other resources while serving a number of different roles. Reads and watches Science Fiction (but not horror) favorites are Robert A. Heinlein, and Star Trek.

Citizenship & Languages: Dual Citizen, American & Swiss. English, German & Swiss German speaking, although German is very rusty.

Faith: Mark is a disciple and follower of Jesus. He doesn't generally say Christian, because well intentioned people have by their actions and attempts to twist the arms of others made this a bad word in the minds of many. Mark is serious about his faith. Mark believes that everyone else has the right to their own opinion without persecution. Examples: Live by the Golden Rule and the maxim; "Love God, and love others as yourself". Don't argue, or preach unless asked to do so, rather live in a manner that inspires others to do the same. Not by words which inevitably lead to hypocrisy, but by example. Mark believes that his success in life to date is as a result of God's blessing in the skills, talents and opportunities, and his wife's support. When Mark is met with failure, he always seeks the lessons to be learned. Mark feels that if he loses his honor or integrity, he has lost everything.

Travel: Will travel anywhere for a consulting gig, duration not to exceed 2 months without returning home, or wife's visitation.

Relocation: Currently lives in Colorado. Willing to relocate for the right offer, especially to a Ski Area, or to Switzerland. Other preferred options are Lubbock, Amarillo, or better yet, Anchorage. Will relocate anywhere if offer is attractive enough.