• Original "Techhead" of the Vicker Family.

• But alway a country boy.
• First to always wear cowboy boots in high school.
• First to always wear a cowboy hat to high school.
  

• Started playing with computers in the late 1970's while studying Accounting at Southwestern Community College.

• Managed to get a work study at Southwestern Community College taking care of their two Radio Shack TRS-80 Model Is.

• Started Vicker Programming and Services while still at Southwestern Community College:
  
• Started out with a Radio Shack TRS-80 Model I
• 3 - five and a quarter inch floppy drives.
• 48 KB of memory
  
• Provided electronic drug record keeping forms for a local pharmacy that bundled it with their prescription services to local nursing homes.
• Provided a mailing list service for a state wide equestrian organization.
  
  

• Started driving and training ponies in 1975. Still do!
  
• Paraded a team of 4 ponies throughout most of the western two thirds of Iowa.
• Exhibited teams of up to 6 ponies in assorted horse shows in the western two thirds of Iowa.
• Co-driver of an 8 pony hitch in the Iowa State Fair Parade for 3 years.
  

• Worked for National Farmers Organization in Corning Iowa from 1982 to 1989:
• Hired as a PC programmer for a project using a Radio Shack TRS-80 Model III to automate field offices.
• Quickly re-assigned to midrange development to assist in upgrading from an IBM System 34 and System 3 to a "new technology" IBM System 38.
• First major task to undertake on my own was to convert the payroll module.
• Learned fundamentals of communications when I had to take over the IBM Series/1 for the programmer that left.
• Became a certified professional when I earned my CCP from the Institute for Certification of Computing Professionals (ICCP)
• Earned a second certification as a CDP also from the ICCP.
• The ICCP has since combined all their certifications together under the CCP with added specialties.
• Attended my first Common conference.
  
• Instituted a centralized name and address database to consolidate them from the four separate divisions and provide a better method of identifying an individual's participation across the divisions.
  

• Worked for Crestland Coop during 1989:
• Provided training on moving from IBM System 36 technology to the new IBM AS/400 technology.
• Helped redesign the purchasing module.
• Helped install their custom package for coops/elevators.
• Automated collection of purchases from their un-attended self service fuel pumps.
• Helped install a convenience store management package that they bought.

• Worked for Fansteel/Wellman Dynamics from 1989 to 1993:
• Converted custom programs from a Honeywell system to an IBM System 38.
• Implemented and customized their new Pansophic PRMS package on the IBM System 38.
• Tracked down numerous problems in Pansophic PRMS and in many cases provided the fix code for Pansophic's technical support team.
• Implemented and integrated a bar coded time and labor data collection system for their production floor.
• Upgraded from IBM System 38 to a new AS/400.
  
• Implemented Premenos EDI on their IBM AS/400.
• Established their first PC network.
  

• Restored Vicker Programming and Service from a sideline to primary focus of business in fall of 1993.
  
• Implemented the conversion and integration of Software Plus payroll from a customer's custom payroll module.
• Implemented the conversion from CA's Pansophic PRMS to B&L Information Systems BLIS ERP system.
• Established and installed PC networks for various customers.
• Established and installed internet connections for various customers.
• Including various hardware and software firewall solutions.
• Including different routing technologies such as Internet Connection Sharing and hardware routers.
  
• Converted a custom package from a PC network using an OS/2 server and Citrix networking to an IBM AS/400.
• Provided custom training to end users on various applications such as IBM Query/400
• Implemented Domino servers on IBM AS/400.
• Implemented domains and mail servers.
• Implemented Apache web server on IBM AS/400.
• Implemented WiFi (802.11) access for customer's networks.

• Background feeder stears on grass starting in 1994
  

• Started making draft and pleasure driving harness for ponies and miniature horses in 1995.
  

• Made first Common presentation during the Fall 2004 conference in Toronto Canada.
• "Employee Management, a Stockman's Approach."
  

• Certified Computer Professional since 1987. Participant in Professional Development program (120 contact hours of continuing education each 3 year cycle).

• Southwestern Community College Advisory Board Member:
• Business and Computer Science.
 
• Reality is subject to some individual interpretation. -- Roger Vicker
  

Phone: (641) 782-2004
Machine: (641) 782-8746

 My Other Sites.

Visit Vicker Programming & Services.
Visit Vicker Pony Farm.
Visit Vicker Harness Shop.
Visit Vicker.com.
Visit Notes From the Farm.

All contents and photos are copyrighted © 2004 by Roger Vicker and may not be re-distributed. 

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Southwestern Iowa Community College