WolfePak: howling success recognized

By BOB BRUCE / Senior Staff Writer

Charlie Wolfe's WolfePak Inc. has become a howling success in computer software but the 39-year-old owner is quick to spread around the credit.

Wolfe says the company's biggest strength is its personnel.

"I was very, very fortunate in getting some good people in the front end - my first two or three employees," he said, referring to startup about 10 years ago.

"I've made some mistakes. It's not all Charlie. I wouldn't be here today if it were that," he said, catching his breath after WolfePak received February's Small Business Salute last week from the Abilene Chamber of Commerce.

Wolfe mentioned by name his first employee, Karen McNulty, a versatile worker who performs in training, installation and sales.

A capacity business crowd attended the ribbon cutting and reception at S. 1st and Mockingbird, where WolfePak remodeled the former Senter Realtors building a year and a half ago.

Today, WolfePak has 16 employees, does business with 800 companies nationwide and promotes its image with a logo of a howling wolf. Art work of wolves is prominently displayed in the office, and Wolfe wore an environmental wolf tie for the occasion.

"Our main focus is accounting software. Everything else spins off of that," Wolfe said. "We sell, install and support software. And when they have turnover, we train their people."

Wolfe estimated that 55 percent of WolfePak's clients are in the oil and gas industry. The next largest group is CPAs. The list of local customers includes Taco Bell, the Chamber of Commerce, the Better Business Bureau and Barret's Body Shop.

PCs have grown, Wolfe said.

"Big companies can now operate on PCs."

Wolfe became interested in computers during high school and college. The 1976 graduate of Abilene High School admits he had an aptitude for math - probably inherited from his father, CPA Bobbie Lee Wolfe.

Charlie received his BBA in accounting from Abilene Christian University in 1980 and his MBA from Texas Tech University in 1981. In between degrees, he acquired his CPA. He was one of the few CPAs in graduate school.

College helped "fill in the blanks," Charlie said, explaining that he worked in computers at both Texas Tech and Hardin-Simmons University.

He acquired petroleum industry experience working for Halliburton in Duncan, Okla., and Pride Refining Inc. in Abilene.

While at Pride he started working part-time on his business "with the blessing of my boss, Ken Klotz," he said.

The name WolfePak didn't come immediately. It really didn't have a definitive name.

"Some people called it Charlie's General Ledger," he said.

Charlie's wife, Cindy Wolfe, came up with the WolfePak name.

"That was what we needed," he said. "She (Cindy) was very involved with the company going in."

Charlie identified what he believes is a WolfePak strength: "Going into a swmall town and installing one system. And before long we have the whole town."

But the key to that is good employees and service, he said. "You've got to have people to sell service."

In keeping with the personal theme, Charlie doesn't like automatic switchboards, either.

"We've resisted that," he said, explaining that WolfePak wants its callers to be greeted by a human voice.

Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.