Tuesday, September 01, 2009
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Posted by: Stephanie El-Hajj
SEPTEMBER 1, 2009
Mark Lawler Gives Back, Mark Lawler wants to make a difference.
Back in
his freshman year of high school, Mark got a leg up in the form of an
internship to teach BASIC programming and maintain the school’s Data
General Nova minicomputer. That humble start led to a series of
internships culminating in eight years of experience by the time he
graduated from college. Such early experience, in his eyes, launched
him on a very successful, high visibility career in the software
industry. Being the guy he is, Mark wants to give back to the industry
that gave him his first chance. So he turns to the SAO.
Programmer, Entrepreneur, Executive Mark
first came to the “Silicon Forest” as a director of R&D and
architect for Symantec's Peter Norton Product Group, which relocated
him and his family to Oregon when Symantec acquired Central Point
Software. But it was at INTERSOLV’s PCVS business unit (now part of
Serena Software), where he served as director of R&D, that Mark
became active in the “1000 by 2000” initiative sponsored by the SAO and
the Business Education Compact (BEC).
“The goal was to place
1000 software and technical interns in local companies by the year
2000,” Mark explains. “I was able to help many others get the head
start that I had enjoyed.” Around that time, Mark also joined a
group of technologists – including John Cimral, a former co-chair of
the SAO – in forming a new software company, ProSight, that quickly
established itself as a leader in application and portfolio management.
ProSight expanded for eight years, earning up to $25M in annual
revenue, before being acquired by Primavera.
Mark now serves
as the vice president of engineering at Sabrix, a software company
started by a group of individuals from Tektronix. Sabrix is a provider
of transaction tax management solutions including an enterprise
consolidated transaction tax management software solution as well as
Sabrix Managed Tax Service (MTS), which combines a SaaS
(software-as-a-service) version of their enterprise tax software with
the services of tax experts and proven methodologies to allow companies
to outsource their entire compliance process to trusted experts. The
company has experienced steady if not formidable growth – in fact,
from 2007 to 2008 the business saw 329 percent growth. Today, it
manages more than $1.7 trillion in transactions for companies of all
sizes, from small businesses to Global 2000 leaders like Shell and
Cisco. The majority of its 200 employees are located right here in Lake
Oswego.
Mark has seen the Oregon software industry from a
variety of perspectives – programmer, entrepreneur, employer and
executive. And after all that experience, he still sees the SAO as the
best way for him to give back.
Four Pillars of Service to Oregon Software Firms Mark is very clear on the many ways he sees that the SAO serves the needs of Oregon software firms:
Sharing
best practices. The SAO is the largest and broadest organization for
local software companies and information technology groups. It provides
the platform for the exchange of best practices and personal
experiences through its forums and its Leadership Exchange. “The forums
often work together to cross-pollinate expertise and foster new ideas,”
Mark explains. “People gain new skills that will help them advance
their careers.”
Serving the local community. The
SAO TechStart, for example, fosters interest in engineering and
programming among young minds in grades K-12. Mark also points out that
SAO members are often behind many of the other, non-SAO conferences and
groups that make Portland such a vibrant technology hub.
Representation
at the state level. “The SAO is the only organization working with the
Oregon legislature on how to improve the business climate and to remove
barriers, both of which helps the software industry grow,” Mark says.
Available,
affordable healthcare. SAO healthcare benefits are especially important
to the individuals and small firms that may have difficulty securing
healthcare on their own. This benefit is critical for supporting
innovative businesses and nurturing the leaders and companies of
tomorrow. These are the primary reasons that Mark has devoted his
valuable time to various roles in the SAO, such as chairing the
Developers Forum and now serving on the board of directors.
The Organization for All Developers Over
10 years of giving back through the SAO, Mark has seen first-hand how
the organization is both the glue and the rising tide for the entire
Oregon software industry.
“SAO gives all of us the community
and support to help Oregon software companies, large and small, grow
and prosper,” he says. He also appreciates how the organization is
extending its focus to the entire range of developers: independent
software authors, open source advocates, commercial shrink wrap
developers, SaaS vendors, IT professionals and the service providers –
such as marketing, hosting and staffing – that assist all of them.
“Don’t misunderstand me. I do want to spread the word about our great
work at Sabrix,” Mark says. “But just as important to me personally is
helping all Oregon software professionals enjoy the same level of
support, and the same great success, as I’ve had.”
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