In 1979, Dale purchased his first computer, one of the original Radio Shack Model I personal computers with 16K of memory and a cassette tape drive to load programs into memory. At the time he was a real estate broker doing market analyses that required extensive mathematical calculations. He programmed the TRS-80 to do the calculations, reducing his manual calculation time from over four hours to 30 seconds. This was the beginning of his experience with computers.
Over the years, he transitioned from the original TRS-80 Model 1 to a Model III, then into a Tandy 2000, his first IBM PC compatible system, then to a succession of PC compatible systems. His PC experience led him into networking, accounting systems and database design. He developed a system for his construction business to produce pro formas and job estimates that aided in securing additional business. While Dale was working for Renda Chiddix Inc. in Santa Rosa, California, on the first work day of the new year, the principals called all office employees into a meeting to inform us that they had lost their contract with Safeway effective New Years Day and were closing the company immediately. This decision affected more than 30 office employees and multiple field employees. This was devastating to him but he soon learned that as a result of the layoff, he was eligible for vocational retraining through a program funded by the State of California. He received the training and became certified as a network administrator. This certification landed him a job with a major California health care provider, where he ultimately became a database administrator, and did substantial database design and programming. This opened opportunities into the field of information technology.
Dale applied for and was hired by Sutter North Medical Foundation (SNMF) in Marysville, California, as a database analyst. His experience at SNMF taught him many new skills on mini-computers, personal computers, and servers. He became proficient as a system administrator and database administrator.