How I Got Started in the Manufacturing Software Business – Part 1 of 4

By Mike Hart

This year marks the 20th anniversary of my company, DBA Software, and so I find myself in a reflective mood.  20 years is a long time in the manufacturing software business and I’ve seen many competitors come and go.  But how did I get in this business in the first place?  

To answer that question, I need to take you back to 1986, which was the year our family business, Hart Manufacturing, was sold.  The company was started by my grandfather, Harold Hart, in 1927.  We made watering and feeding systems for the poultry industry and expanded greatly in the late 1970’s, only to crash and burn when new poultry house construction collapsed as Paul Volker broke the back of inflation with 20+% interest rates.