32C-209 (10) Owners now -° - -i ° 2 ir
looking at � yao� a y3 ci o x � �N ��S.a> d ca 0
ac uisition ° °� � � �� Wye YA � °y yyY
O N q O V V'b'� -C r�i d ° a c��"C O U y 0.d cC p V�. s.. p C?
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By CHRIS YURKO y 3 0 o aS c y `� °' �,``°.°'c Mo a>i 'Cl �.y o w °' ai o� v
Staff Writer o �; or �`°r y �03 o� cu p �� � p,o c�i• cn go:
3 °'
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v w ca o,n" Uv► nErl O cd y> >'co > W O� �� - 0
NORTHAMPTON — By the summer v 3 a2 a c o= coo �'iv o 00 cov>r "
of 1993, Erik Thomsen and George O c �, o. bD o � 0 a O bpy a>i= L. a'� d
Spofford seemed to be on the brink of 3 " ° H x 3'S aoi H a,o S E.-.°E" o a° o
dream�ng the proverbial American y o M�a0 a > A o °`� ° o 0 > ; Q „ 4~° �
After years of research and develop- a a.H F" H o o v H ~ >'Q o a °c o
ment, they had just begun to market a c o y a. u F �; ° E.,p.a °A E-4
►, °�
sophisticated computer software pro- .[
gram called FreeThink. The multi- c % o Y y o > Y �,7,' W 5
dimensional database and spreadsheet Z 0 c 2 E .Q. y- 3 p;y
package had been praised in computer o Y a �. a;Y o c, b °
trade magazines. Analysts at the World a° `� a c `°�, Y >,� o P"y " c N o 0 0 0
Bank in Washington, D.C., were already � a c 04 b y 4 0 > N b o aoi 3 o
v d R, E� l~ > ~.~ d °.b o tin>,'V r.using time Thomsen had predicted ° c Y N 0°' o L0 ° a.> o 3 ,. °' 0 c° N E c.��
P o a o c .
P �co-0 a c P. W NY C6 N� o.., o q-_x= O 4) 0
their fledgling com computer software com- a, Y-- O m d" " ° o bn o
d a. >,U b.~ ~ o� b
parry, Power Thinking Tools Inc., would o bo Ems, Cd o -0 c b b y a"� B c Y N
generate $1 million in sales within a (n � ❑-- Ts H N d c w b 4; >,z a) Y
year and double its staff, which had bn �� N o a .0 ca ° a >, d ca (D 3 Y•°.a ,
already swelled to 12 full-time employ- ca �°:o ° a a.; co a.3- `�.0 v b o o P�
W o O y P.'V'0-�4 � O.-. y Cd a) t bn O y.~
But there was a bum on the .�. a� E o a,.' `'mod =Y .ja cd °.E' CJ 0 o c m o 3~'y o.a Cd
company's otherwise smooth horizon. a b C(3 - w P: q ° >> ° " " W.0 ce
The were running the business in a �' a 3 a' `0 Y ° y o N y=' Q'o Ctl�'° ��y o c d Y
Y g bo � ,, oc.� oaZY�o° c°� sd, � oObF'o=y ad > cd
mixed industrial-residential apartment ti a-Z O CU
complex in Northampton without a >o E" a°a�' o W A °' °
Zoning permit. ;; c..�b Cd 04 2 o s. H �r v M iu 3 s. a
Last August, after receiving two aU b y ti g W; a>b c 6 Y �c0
complaints from neighbors, assistant y � co b �Y o.Z" c° u0 a'° ca y y a•� 0� y bD building inspector Anthony Patillo or- c a o W 3 0; =. u >, o o G a a 0� t7
dered Power Thinking Tools to "cease _� y H 0, ° o ° S.rn a. '� a c .a c SZ to
and desist" its operations at that $ a y a o ° b s o �' E " °
location. E v a c P.a.�a v u b o ° 3 (D- o-ti U `� bn
According o Thomsen, this was a to o o o a CD u o ° bo S., rA Y �;o ai °O .5 a o
„g °�a4 x ;~ o u L.: .a co 'v rn P,.~
time of maximum criticality' in the o �, ° O Y S. ❑ w� ai>,3 =�_ Y d E■ A a
evolution of the business. S .� o x a 0 P a o aoi '"y, >,:1 y � a a
"Everyone's � ° y O O U 0 .0 cC p�QU, �� C11 �N O vii � �,�,�'y `� � �O Cd
energy should have been c4,� ° '--'
devoted to selling software," Thomsen E+ „ " a" °~='"'~c 0, a CU `� o .0 W `�o o v v 3
said. "Instead, it was spent in moving. s. W c a 4)0 0) `� "x E" °' F cz" �' E- M d y
That's what killed us." �' o `' °y o r °�cu "a oo �' ao `"}' C4 °' �'
Despite the hyperbole, Power Think- c a o " �'� `� 3-[ a; 3 �. aoi lr Cq E4 3 a°i o .
P YP E >,c. o ai a� bn.~'�. a�--b ° a o `.t7 ° Y
ing Tools is not dead. Thomsen and > ° "a a Y �,' �; a.�•s o s. O c o bb b0 o 0 Y a o
Spofford are still selling software, out.of o y Y 3 0 E o U o cc ca �, o , N '°
new offices in a third-floor suite on o Y o c o o ;; ca o ° c � E_ n� 0.0 o Ey
Main Street but the move cost the o;° O 4.. 3 � Q cl c o o °' a °'Y ~
company much in terms of money, °0 N H ° V H Y N _ Y ° W Y
motivation and employees. bpi o c o; b co W e c.two- e o Y o Y� .0
Thomsen says he is personally in F Q a,p c o G „ c, tao.-, ,_ o :. o W Y
debt for $100,000 and was forced to la tr a In off his entire Only Thoms _0 W E_ ' a
Spofford and several part-time assist' b m c °o ° w
ants remain. Cd aC i, UO ° o '� coo H ° 93 � Y0
�v 0 'n C as o ca E.
What's more, Thomsen no longer cu b•~ u q a: co y � a) �; $. o �, ¢ b
believes Power Thinking Tools long- L.Pa a o CO� � p�, o ca .-.W �,� O a o
term prospects reside in Northampton, °; .o .� o.b � c, c o c a o Cd CD where he had hoped to grow the >,a o
11 u (U c � 3 o ° ^a p,o c °'°'° a u O .o b
company's fortunes. � o °: r°. W :„ 'd o o c.d N g Po 0 ca ca c,�.b a: CZ
"A year ago I had ties here," said o ��b o o ca 0 X. o° o � rA C's"0 b a ° ai o
Thomsen, 34, who attended Ham shire ,co�Y Y N Y �_ o > W a� m o a�
College in 1982, before dropping out. bn�N ° C. `�'' ° V a (D Q'S. `�°N " `Z
Cd vca co oa-' o... ~ (D rN � � o u3
"Now, I'll o anyplace." a wo Ei,-Y U O'- x a O ti s 0 W a� cC D' p `Z--
g YP cao'b0 ��' o o � ,° cc c. 0 o
¢'TS R.... !..Y J.. V 0, �. O W O� � � y A i. O.-, cC m� O cC
° o�' b°pu aa) vi`° W ° >,r U c° G ¢'o.°a ac.iV a)N °~. as b0- a)
Ill feelings, two ways 3�°c m� 0 0.o:5 C- � Q.r.U n m Ui v, caa.0. 04
Thomsen is clearly bitter about being
forced out of the company's previous
offices. He blames city officials for
being inconsistent in enforcing zoning
regulations and for failing to appreciate
the differences between "industrial"
businesses that produce waste and
make noise and "intellectual" endea-
vours, like computer software firms,
that do not.
City officials, on the other hand,
particularly Patillo, who handled the
Power Thinking Tools case, point their
fingers back at the software company,
which failed to apply for the required
permits.
"They had 18 months in which they