Tugboat Enterprises - What do we do?

Tugboat Enterprises specializes in secure data recovery and file transfer software. Tugboat products are built on a platform developed specifically for them. Tugboat Enterprises is a fast-growing company that is constantly expanding its product base. Tugboat is proud of its imaginative and skilled team all of whom bring talent, vision and creativity to the company and its products.

Tugboat Enterprises is a software company that develops innovative utilities and programs for data recovery and data rescue in the PC desktop and laptop market. Tugboat derives its name from the original software platform developed by Tugboat Enterprises' programmers.

Mission Statement

Tugboat's mission is to provide the next generation of data recovery software - fast, secure data rescue for an affordable price. Tugboat's programs are simple and powerful, and geared toward the use of home users, business professionals, and IT managers. We pride ourselves on being responsible corporate citizens.

Memberships

Tugboat Enterprises is a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals. The Hook Hardware Analysis Tool is Tugboat's first contribution to the active and growing Freeware community. The Hook is a program that instantly provides an accounting of all devices currently installed on a computer.

Tugboat Enterprises is a proud member of the BC Technology Industry Association, which is the main industry association organization for high technology in British Columbia, Canada. We participate in TechVibes, a Vancouver-based e-Business and High-Tech Online Community site, and we are also a member of the Powell River Chamber of Commerce.

Tugboat Enterprises is listed with the Genesis Exchange, and is also a member of the Photo Marketing Association (PMA).

Page Top

Tugboat Team

Judi Tyabji Wilson, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Judi is one of the founding partners of Tugboat Enterprises and her business background is as an owner/operator in management consulting, property development, and multimedia. She has worked with computers since the mid-1980s and was instrumental in advocating technical systems upgrades in all private and public sector positions. Her political career involved public policy development in technology infrastructure advancement, and she worked to take several companies and organizations online. Judi has held elected office as a Member of the Legislative Assembly and in local government, has a political science degree (International Relations), and is Director of Maradadi Pacific (1996) which has successfully built business in multimedia, consultancy, and property development. She is a published author and former television and radio show host.

(Hon.) Gordon F.D. Wilson, B.Sc., MA, President and Chairman of the Board Gordon is the former Minister of Finance and the former Minister of Employment, Investment, and International Trade for the province of British Columbia, Canada.  Gordon is President of Maradadi Pacific and has been engaged in business consulting and property development since 1996. He holds a B.Sc., from the State University of New York and a Masters (MA) from the University of British Columbia in Resource Economics. Gordon is one of the founding partners of Tugboat Enterprises and has primary responsibility for capitalizing the company and driving strategy on corporate growth and liaison with other corporations and government.

Paul L. Flanagan Jr. , Vice President, Sales and Business Development Paul L. Flanagan Jr. has over 20 years senior management experience in direct sales, channel sales, marketing and business development for industry leading companies Cisco Systems, IBM, Sun Microsystems and Oracle Corporation. Paul has built and managed high caliber successful national and global teams focusing on consulting, hardware, software and networking products and solutions. At Sun Microsystems he built and managed two worldwide sales and technical marketing business units to support business development and revenue growth. While at IBM he was responsible for the integration of Sequent Computers into the RS6000 Business and developing a joint channel sales and alliance organization. At Cisco he was responsible for recruiting partners and building a channel sales team to generate VOIP and Wireless revenue. Paul holds a BS and MS in Economics from Northeastern University, in Boston, and an MBA in Finance and MIS from the University of San Francisco. He is an Adjunct Professor of Management at the Graduate Schools of Management at San Francisco State University and Golden Gate University in San Francisco.

Emma Levez Larocque, Vice President, Operations Emma is an experienced web designer who combines organizational and technical skills as an administrator with her talent in online development and as a professional photographer. She has successfully run her own web design and SEO company for five years while also maintaining a photography business. As co-owner of Tidal Pool Publishing Emma has written and designed two books (Off the Beaten Path: Discovering Powell River and the Upper Sunshine Coast and Off the Beaten Path: Discovering the Campbell River Area), two high-quality photographic art calendars and a variety of promotional material including photographic art cards and perpetual calendars. She worked as the web administrator for Community Futures Development Corporation for three years, and some of her recent photography and website clients are Plutonic Power, Powell River Mental Health & Addiction Services, and the Powell River Historical Museum. Emma holds an honours BA degree from Wilfred Laurier University and a journalism certificate from Langara College.

Jonathan Lyster, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and founding partner Jonathan is a senior C, C++ and Pascal programmer and an expert in the development of embedded operating systems. He created the original platform of Tugboat Enterprises. Jonathan worked for three years in computer repair, during which time he co-produced the automation of the repair process, a precursor to the Selkie Software platform. Jonathan has a background in programming, desktop publishing, and Website design. He is the author of The Opera 5.x Book: Browsing the Web with Speed and Style, the original guide to the Opera Web browser. Jonathan owned & operated Lyster Publications, a desktop publishing company specializing in advertising, website design, and small press publishing for corporate clients.

Curt Tweedle, Chief Information Architect (CIA) Curt Tweedle is certified in Microsoft and his computer certifications include Comptia (A+ Certified Professional PC Hardware & software), Net+ (setting up networks for information exchange), i-Net + Certified Professional (setting up systems to interact with the internet), and Microsoft (MCP 070-210 Windows 2000 Professional & MCP 070-215 Windows 2000 Server). He obtained his Microcomputer Support Specialist & Microcomputer Application Specialist certificate in 1999.

Matthew Bleicher, Manager, Online Marketing Matthew has been working professionally in the software industry since 1999. He began at Tucows.com, Inc, where he started out reviewing software, and then created HTMLStuff, a Tucows website that taught others how to create their own websites. In March of 2000, Matthew was named Director, Quality Control at Tucows, Inc. He developed the first quality assurance system and department at Tucows. He started and managed a team of Web designers and copy editors to ensure consistency and quality across the site. He was also key in the design and implementation of the Author Resource Center (ARC) which is used today by 15,000-plus software companies to promote and manage their software titles. This includes the creation of an innovative PPC search marketing system that launched in August of 2001. Matthew also designed an SEO program for Tucows, which helped place it at or near the top of relevant Google searches. He also developed advertising and marketing campaigns for software companies in his capacity as the manager of the Author Resource Center. Matthew brings this wide and varied experience to Tugboat Enterprises in order to market Selkie products on download sites, in search engines such as Google, on blogs and other on-line locations.

Harold Holmes, Senior Windows Programmer Harold Holmes is a highly experienced developer who has owned and operated his own software development firm for more than 17 years. He has garnered many industry accolades for his accomplishments during this time. He was a Chairman of the Board as well as President of the Association of Shareware Professionals for a number of years. He also developed the Portable Application Description interface (PAD) that is now used by developers worldwide to disseminate product information to Internet download sites. He is currently on the Board of Directors for the annual Software Industry Conference, which is an international conference on software development and marketing.

Kadee Callahan, Affiliate Assistant Kadee has been working with computers since the age of five. She has worked doing online marketing and promotion with Callahan Enterprises for the past 8 years. She functions as the Office Manager and works with software promotions full-time. Kadee has also worked for several years helping her father, Michael Callahan, with the Shareware Industry Awards and the Peoples Choice Awards. In addition to her work in computers and software, Kadee has also worked as a firefighter, Emergency Medical Technician, and went to school for massage therapy.

Karen Kimball, Administrative Assistant Karen has worked in administration for more than five years. She has varied office experience, from real estate to government, and now to software. At Tugboat Enterprises she works closely with members of the office to ensure daily operations are efficient and effective. She provides administrative as well as web support.

Page Top

Board of Directors

(Hon.) Gordon F.D. Wilson, B.Sc., MA, President and Chairman of the Board Gordon is the former Minister of Finance and the former Minister of Employment, Investment, and International Trade for the province of British Columbia, Canada. He holds a B.Sc., from the State University of New York and a Masters (MA) from the University of British Columbia in Resource Economics. Gordon is one of the founding partners of Tugboat Enterprises and has primary responsibility for capitalizing the company and driving strategy on corporate growth and liaison with other corporations and government.

Brady Malcolm, Board Member Brady is an independent businessman with more than 30 years of experience in the construction trade. He has been owner and operator of three companies focused on electrical administration since 2001. Mr. Malcolm and his wife Rachel currently own and operate United States Electric of Nevada — a military utilities and development electrical contractor, United States Electric of Washington — an electrical and general contracting firm, and Cascadia Electric Ltd. of British Columbia?a general electrical systems contracting firm. Current clients include the Seattle Seahawks, Port of Seattle, Sound Transit, U.S. Navy, Waste Management and the U.S. Army.

Heidi Hendrickson, BA, Board Member Heidi's background includes personnel management, project and building management, planning, sales, sales management, budget development, customer relations, hiring and training, new business development and account management. Since 2002 Hendrickson has been Operations Manager for Seattle-based Mortgage West which provides nationwide financing in the United States through its two locations, fifty employees and online presence. Heidi is the senior administrator responsible for technical support, marketing, human resources, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and payroll. Prior to joining Mortgage West, Heidi was Vice President of Operations and Leasing for Centris, LLC where she managed an executive suite company with locations in Seattle, Bellevue and Redmond, Washington. Her position at Centris was a natural evolution from her work with InterOffice, a national executive suite company, where as Center Manager she oversaw and maintained the Bellevue, WA location.

Samy Khoury, B.Sc., Board Member As General Sales Manager for the Lexus Tasha Auto Group, Samy was responsible for the operations of the sales and finance departments. He was also responsible for the profitability of the company, training of staff and hiring of new sales agents. The Tasha Auto Group, a mega-dealer, did $500 million and 25,000 units of sales in 1995. Samy's areas of expertise and success include business planning, assembling teams to implement strategy, and ensuring corporate revenues meet projections. Initially his sales career was in the automotive field. In 1996 Samy took the position of Vice President of Sales for the Western Region of the First Alliance Mortgage Company. As Vice President he oversaw all loan operations, hired and trained branch Managers and branch loan processing staff. In April of 2006 Samy formed the Amtec Funding Group, LLC. These companies are meeting the new challenges in personal and corporate financing.

Rachel Malcolm, Board Member Rachel is currently the office manager and co-owner of United States Electric of Nevada?a military utilities and development electrical contractor, United States Electric of Washington — an electrical and general contracting firm, and Cascadia Electric Ltd. of British Columbia — a general electrical systems contracting firm (see Brady Malcolm above). Rachel Malcolm has developed customized inter-operational systems for both the American and Canadian contracting businesses. In 2000 Rachel joined Antony C. Edwards, Patent Agent where she stayed until 2003. In 2003 she became partnered with Brady Malcolm.

Judi Tyabji Wilson, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Judi is one of the founding partners of Tugboat Enterprises and her business background is as an owner/operator in management consulting, property development, and multimedia. She has worked with computers since the mid-1980s and was instrumental in advocating technical systems upgrades in all private and public sector positions. Her political career involved public policy development in technology infrastructure advancement, and she worked to take several companies and organizations online. Judi has held elected office as a Member of the Legislative Assembly and in local government, has a political science degree (International Relations), and is Director of Maradadi Pacific (1996) which has successfully built business in multimedia, consultancy, and property development. She is a published author and former television and radio show host.

Jonathan Lyster, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Founding Partner He is a senior C, C++ and Pascal programmer and an expert in the development of embedded operating systems. He created the original platform of Tugboat Enterprises. Jonathan worked for three years in computer repair, during which time he co-produced the automation of the repair process, a precursor to the Selkie Software platform. Lyster has a background in programming, desktop publishing, and Web site design. He is the author of The Opera 5.x Book: Browsing the Web with Speed and Style, the original guide to the Opera Web browser. Jonathan owned & operated Lyster Publications, a desktop publishing company specializing in advertising, web site design, and small press publishing for corporate clients.

Page Top

Advisors

Michael E. Callahan, Advisor Known around the world as Dr. File Finder™, Michael is regarded as the world's leading expert on shareware. He works with software programs and developers full-time, evaluating as many as 10,000 programs annually. Since 1982 he has evaluated over 220,000 software and hardware products. Michael is an active member of the shareware community and a co-founder of the Shareware Industry Awards Foundation. He is Manager of Editorial Content on Tucows. In 1990 Michael helped create PC World Online for America Online and CompuServe and worked as Contributing Editor for PC World Interactive. In 1989, John Dvorak recruited Michael to help create Dvorak's Guide to PC Telecommunications. In 1990 Michael wrote Dr. File Finder's Guide to Shareware, and in 1991 he was asked to take over Shareware Magazine. In the intervening years he has written three more books, countless reviews and articles, worked for CNET, ZDNet, Tucows, WUGNET (Microsoft User Group Database) and Simtel, and has continued to be a very active participant in the shareware community. In 1992 he created the Shareware Industry Awards. Michael currently works for TUCOWS and runs Callahan Enterprises doing online PR and marketing primarily for software companies. Dr. File Finder is also a recipient of the 1993 Shareware Industry Award for lifetime achievement and has been inducted into the ASP Hall of Fame.

Don Watkins, Advisor Don is an experienced veteran of the high tech sector, including all aspects of computing including hardware, operating systems, networks, applications, user interface and consumer manuals. He is the owner and operator of the popular Texas-based PCNet-Online™, a management and consulting firm engaged in the creation and management of online content, online community resources, and other telecommunications and computer related consulting. He has recognized expertise in working with enterprises that range from start-ups to major computer and telecommunications corporations, and has created content for major online services, managing communities, and providing key creative and technical services to establish the Web presences of major corporations, with responsibility for managing multiple areas for CompuServe, MSN, Dell, Toshiba, Gateway and ZDNet.com. Don's professional memberships include Founding Member of the Association of Shareware Professionals and Founding Member of the Association of Online Professionals. He has been awarded the Telecommunications (John Dvorak) Excellence Award for Lifetime Achievement (1994). Don was inducted into the SIAF Hall of Fame (1997). In 2003 he received the Shareware Industry Association Lifetime Achievement Award.

Howard E. Carson, Advisor Howard is a project manager, research specialist, product designer and writer. He has over 30 years of successful experience in production, design, investigative research, writing and technology development. In 1972, Howard founded ABC Research, a private investigative research and technology analysis company. Howard and his research partner sold the ABC Research databases to a private consortium in 2003. Howard served from 1996-2001 as Director of Product Creative Services for MGI, and was also interim General Manager of Development for MGI in 1999. Howard successfully assembled and managed a highly respected team responsible for the design and development of the award winning user interface designs and all product content design and production for PhotoSuite and VideoWave, the market leading consumer photo and video editing products, along with dozens of other products. Howard was also the special projects leader at MGI and produced partner software products for The Learning Company, Toymax, and WWF, as well as specialized content projects for Dell, Gateway, Epson and many other companies. In 2000 Howard founded Kickstartnews as the publication division of ABC Research and is now Managing Partner and Managing Editor of Kickstartnews Inc.

Josephine (Josie) Tyabji, Advisor Josie has spent over 20 years in business development in the wine industry, initially as General Manager for Okanagan Vineyards, currently as Business Development Manager for Vincor International, one of the largest wine companies in the world. As General Manager for Okanagan Vineyards she oversaw all aspects of operation, including financial management, production management, sales, marketing, vineyard, & government relations. She joined Okanagan Vineyards in its early days, and was directly involved with the winery and vineyard operation from ground zero through its growth, development, and profitability. During her time as General Manager of Okanagan Vineyards, Tyabji managed the operations of a three-year contract with Ferrero Rocher in Germany for the processing and export of cherries in liqueur for their chocolates. Tyabji managed the transition of Okanagan Vineyards from a successful family-owned operation to a vital component in a large and growing international wine enterprise. In 1998 Josie was appointed Business Development Manager at Vincor, the position she currently holds. Josie is a Member of the BC Wine Institute Board of Directors, and is the Chair of the BC Wine Institute Finance Committee. In addition to her Certified Management Accounting designation, Tyabji holds Levels 1 and 2 in Microsoft Access Databases — Levels 1 and 2 and has completed several business courses.

Page Top