2017 Update
Gary Sawkins (CT '69), founder of QC Data and Center Line Data
"I sold my company, QC Data, when I was 40 and retired for about two years. But then I started Center Line Data. I went back to work because the technology had changed and part of my dream was to digitize all the well logs in the States and Canada, and Mexico, too. When I sold my company about seven years ago, we had digitized the majority in the States. I wanted to do Canada, too but it was too segregated. I wanted to do something significant.
After my three-year, non-competition clause ended about four years ago, I have been retired and having fun. I just finished a cruise down to Antarctica and I wore that Alumni Award pin all the time. Getting my Alumni Award was very important to me and the awards themselves have gotten more important as time went on. It's an honour representing the school wherever I go in the world.
It's nice to talk about SAIT and how it changed my life. I was in the first class when they had just started computers. It was a time when it was still debatable if computers were dependable enough to get consistent results. It was just the leading edge and SAIT was wise enough to be in on that."
After graduating in 1969, Gary worked for Riley's Datashare International for eight and a half years, and had his own consulting company. He sold his company, QC Data when he was 40. Two years later, he founded Centreline Data, which he sold in 2010. Based in Denver, Colo., Gary is enjoying his retirement by travelling and playing golf.