Sandra Kurtzig facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sandra Kurtzig
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Kurtzig in 2021
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| Born | October 21, 1947 |
| Occupation | Businessperson |
| Known for | Founder of ASK Group |
Sandra L. Kurtzig is an American businesswoman and a leader in technology. She was one of the first women to start a business in Silicon Valley, a famous area for tech companies. In 1972, she founded a company called ASK Group. It made software for businesses and manufacturing. She was also the first woman to make a Silicon Valley tech company available for people to buy shares in, which is called going public.
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Her Amazing Career
Starting Out
Sandra Kurtzig was born in Chicago on October 21, 1947. She loved math and earned a degree in it from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1968. Later, she studied aeronautical engineering at Stanford University.
Building a Software Business
In 1972, Sandra left her job selling computer time. This was a service where people could rent time on a large computer. She wanted to spend more time with her family. She started ASK Group as a part-time job from her home. She used a small amount of money, about $2,000, to rent a computer terminal.
Sandra began ASK as a small business. She wrote software programs for other companies. Her first client, Halcyon, asked her to create a program to track their inventory. This program helped them manage their manufacturing information better. Sandra realized that many other factories could use a similar program. So, she hired smart graduates who knew about engineering and computers. Together, they created standard software programs to help manufacturers solve common problems.
Making Big Software (ERP)
Manman Software
Sandra put all the money her company earned back into growing the business. Her company needed access to special computers called minicomputers. She convinced people at a nearby Hewlett-Packard factory to let her company use one of their HP 3000 minicomputers after work hours.
By 1978, ASK released a set of programs called Manman. This was one of the first enterprise resource planning (ERP) software suites. ERP software helps businesses manage all their different parts, like sales, inventory, and production. Sandra made a deal for Hewlett Packard to sell Manman for their HP-3000 minicomputers. This was a big deal because most ERP software at the time only worked on much more expensive mainframe computers.
In 1981, her company, ASK Group, became a public company. This meant people could buy shares in it on the NASDAQ stock market. Sandra left her role as CEO of ASK Group in 1985. But she came back in 1989 to help the company grow again. At its best, the company made almost $1 billion in sales each year.
Kenandy Software
In 2010, Sandra started a new company called Kenandy. It makes software for managing businesses. She was the CEO until 2015 and is now the Chairman. Kenandy creates "cloud ERP" solutions. This means their software works over the internet, so businesses can use it from anywhere. Kenandy is named after Sandra's sons, Ken and Andy Kurtzig. They are also leaders at other tech companies.
Her Personal Life
When Sandra Kurtzig received an award and was featured in big newspapers like The Wall Street Journal, she said that while it was fun to see articles about her, ASK was truly a team effort.
Her sons, Ken and Andy Kurtzig, were born in the 1970s. Sandra's father was Barney Brody. Her mother, Marian (Boruck) Brody, came from a wealthy family in Chicago. She went to the University of Illinois and even worked as a police reporter for a while.
More to Explore
- Pearl.com (a company started by her son, Andy Kurtzig)
