Harold D. Prewitt, Jr. (born October 1, 1954, in Hutchinson, Kansas) is an American businessman, inventor, artist, and race car driver. In the 1970s and 1980s, he was one of the early creators of personal computer products,[1] developing software and hardware for IBM's microcomputer systems.[2]
Prewitt joined the Civil Air Patrol as a cadet and earned the second-highest rank (Cadet Lt. Colonel). He sold his first artwork, a painting, at the age of 16.[1][2]
As a teenager, Prewitt learned sailing, fishing, boating, and scuba diving and developed skills in mechanics, engineering, electronics, navigation, and construction. He was interested in painting and photography, producing and selling a number of images.[1][2]
After graduating from high school, Prewitt continued building boats, managing his business, and began to focus on computer programming. Between 1972 and 1975, he learned various programming languages using an IBM 1130. In the early 1970s, Prewitt unsuccessfully sought venture capital in a plan to design, build, and sell small business computers at lower prices than available at the time.[1] In 1975, he built an Altair 8800. That same year, Prewitt obtained his first business application customer when he sold, designed, and wrote computer programs for the IBM 5100 and System/32 as part of the business he had started at age 16. He joined the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and participated in autocross events.[2]
Education
After high school, Prewitt attended Daytona Beach Community College (1972–76), studying business and computer science, but left without earning a degree. He transferred to Florida Atlantic University (1976–78), Boca Raton, Florida, where he continued his studies in business and computer science; however, he eventually dropped out of college to focus on his business.[2]
Business career
Prewitt's working career began at the age of 13. He started working in construction helping build homes for an Ormond Beach, Florida builder. He also worked busing tables and washing dishes before a promotion to cook at a couple of local restaurants. At the age of 16, Prewitt started his first business and sold his first painting. While attending community college, he built boats, worked as a painter, an accountant and for the yard crew at the Howard Boat Works marina. Prewitt's final jobs where he was employed by someone else were as a lab assistant helping students in his college and as a computer programmer for a company providing business applications on mainframes and minicomputers.[1][2]
Ranger Systems
Ranger Systems' 1972 ad for Rent A Houseboat
Prewitt started his first business in 1970, when he was in high school. "Ranger Systems", had four divisions: Ranger Manufacturing, Business World, Rent a Houseboat and Ranger Automotive Engineering.[1][2]
He used the manufacturing part of the business to build electronics, computers, and fiberglass boats. Business World did marketing, photography, printing and advertising. Prewitt wrote brochures, shot pictures, placed ads and ran a printing press. The biggest and most profitable division was Rent a Houseboat. Prewitt took the family boat and turned it into a rental business. He sometimes used a small boat to travel to school and quickly reach the houseboat. Prewitt did everything from writing contracts to maintenance, while the automotive division focused on repairs.[1][2]
In 1975, Prewitt created International Computer to continue building, selling, installing and programming computers. This was the period when he started developing storage devices which ultimately became his most successful products.
He had customers that were located from mid to south Florida in manufacturing, hotel, service, legal, medical, construction and agricultural industries. Prewitt flew to their offices by initially renting aircraft and then by using his own.[1][2]
Prewitt started Southeast Computer Consultants with a partner in late 1977.[citation needed]
Core's 1979–85 Delray Beach, FL premises, two small homes converted to offices where Prewitt also lived.
In late 1979, Prewitt founded Core International from the assets of International Computer and Southeast Computer Consultants. The company developed hardware and software for IBM 5110-series systems, including external storage products addressing the lack of built-in hard drives. Core later expanded into disk arrays, data storage, and backup products, and grew to operate internationally, with offices in Europe and Asia.
In 1986, Inc. magazine ranked Core 21st on its Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private companies. Prewitt served as chairman and chief executive officer until 1993, when the company was sold to Aiwa.[1][2][5]
Prewitt Enterprises
Prewitt is the Managing Member of Prewitt Enterprises, a Florida-based agricultural and investment business he founded in 2004, with offices in Boca Raton and Miami, Florida, and in Park City, Utah. The agricultural part of the business grows oranges and at its peak produced more than 1.5 million half gallon cartons of orange juice per year with much of it used in Tropicana's Pure Premium. The investment division is active in private and public businesses in both the U.S. and internationally.
Prewitt Management
In 2012, Prewitt founded Prewitt Management, a Florida-based art business with offices in Boca Raton and Miami, Florida and Park City, Utah. Prewitt's art is in a wide array of genres and mediums including oils, acrylics, pencil drawings and photography. His production sizes range from small to greater than 20 feet. His works are displayed in many public and private venues. Some of his artworks were displayed in his gallery on Main Street, Park City, Utah until the summer of 2017.[7]
Sporting career
Racing
Hal Prewitt signing fan autographs with Richard Petty and David Murry when racing in the 2007 24 Hours of Daytona and driving for Playboy
Prewitt first became active in racing while growing up in Daytona Beach, Florida in the 1970s and driving in SCCA events. He became serious in 2004 after attending Skip Barber Racing School.[9]
2010 Win at 24 hours of Dubai. Drivers Hal Prewitt, Cor Euser, Toto Lassally and Jim Briody
Prewitt retired in 2015 after driving in more than 200 events. In his final year (2015), he finished as the No. 1 American and 4th out of 819 international drivers from 58 countries in the 2015 International Endurance Series Championship.[8] He qualified for a career total of 200 races (140 Sprint and 60 Endurance) and drove in 30 endurance events (24 hours or longer) at 33 tracks in races held by IMSA (part of NASCAR), and others in the US and international events. He has won 73 firsts, 30 seconds and 10 third places for 41% wins in 180 starts and for 63% podium finishes. He has a low 3.61% did not finish (DNF) incident rate.[10]
Fishing
1988 BBC win Hal Prewitt (center) with crew (left to right) Paul Ivey, Todd Simlic and Rick O'Neill
Prewitt is a sport fisherman.[11] Over the years, he has caught and released more than one thousand Billfish with many of them tagged for science research. Most of these were captured "stand up", not using a fishing chair and on light tackle. Prewitt was selected as Atlantic Ocean Angler of the Year 1992, recognized and awarded by International Game Fish Association (IGFA) as the angler who Tagged & Released the most Sailfish in 1990, 1991 and 1992 and White Marlin in 1992. In 1989, Power and Motor-yacht Magazine[12] named him one of America's Top Ten Anglers of 1988.
Beginning in the mid-1990s, Prewitt served as a Commissioner on the Architectural and Code Enforcement Boards[citation needed] prior to his 2001 unopposed election to the Town Commission of Manalapan, Florida[13] where he held office until the town was reapportioned in 2002.[14] Prewitt served on the Florida Atlantic University Executive Advisory Board and Palm Beach Countywide Beaches & Shores Council.[citation needed]
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