The Roots of Skyward

The year was 1980. After moving 8 times in 11 years, young Jim King and his wife, Jean, put down roots in their hometown of Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Jim started working as a freelance programmer for a couple of local companies, one of which was the Stevens Point Brewery. One day, Jim was at the brewery programming an accounts receivable system for their Burroughs computer. While he was there, the Burroughs sales rep walked into the room and asked Jim about the software he was developing. The two men chatted a bit, and the sales rep told Jim about a salary negotiations system Merrill School District was looking to run on its Burroughs computer. He encouraged Jim to submit a bid. Little did the rep know, this conversation would shape the rest of Jim’s life and impact the Stevens Point community for decades to come.After talking with Merril School district, Jim put in a $4,500 bid—his price to build their system—and won the contract in 1981. “I learned later that the closest bid to mine...