Who's Who at the Computing Center: Cort Buchholz

Meet a new member of our staff…

Cort Buchholz has already packed a lot of experience into his 26 years. He's been a student, entrepreneur, IT manager, systems analyst, rock band promoter, amateur musician, and bicycle racer--and for the most part, he still is all of these things.

Until the fall of 1999, Cort, a Portland native, was on track to get his Computer Science degree from the University of Oregon. But by chance, his work-study job in the Social Science Instructional Lab (SSIL) had introduced him to some fellow students who were members of a rock band called "16-Second Hum."

Cort Buchholz
Systems Analyst
Administrative Services

Cort's own musical inclinations (he has studied both saxophone and guitar) and his enthusiasm for the band soon led to a connection with Paul Anthony, the founder of the pioneer digital music label "RumbleFish."

It was the heady era of entrepreneurial risk-taking and overnight success, and enthusiasm for startup businesses was at its peak. RumbleFish, with $125,000 in seed money from family and friends and the sponsorship of the UO School of Business, secured an office in the Riverfront Research Park, and immediately took off. Initially, the company focused on introducing new music in multiple genres, selling music downloads, and launching and nurturing new bands ("16" was one of its early protégés). In addition to "quasi-managing" his friends in the band, Cort took on the responsibility of being RumbleFish's IT manager and Chief Technical Officer, working with other technical consultants and student interns from the UO and PSU. Business grew so quickly, it wasn't long before Cort left school to devote his full-time energies to the fledgling company.

In August 2000, RumbleFish won the prestigious Angel Award in the annual Oregon Entrepreneurs

Forum competition and was voted the number-one startup company in Oregon. Sensing it was time to expand, the company moved to Portland and Cort went with it. But while RumbleFish remained viable, it struggled in the sudden economic downturn. Needing a steady paycheck, Cort reluctantly bowed out to take a job as systems analyst with Integra Telecom. After 18 months with Integra, Cort began to think about finishing his degree. As luck would have it, a systems analyst position opened at the Computing Center just as he was ready to make his move, and Cort applied and was hired.

Now Cort is in his fourth month as an employee of Administrative Services and is picking up credits toward his B.S. degree, which he hopes to complete by the spring of 2004. His diverse real-world experience has served him well, both as a student and systems analyst. Cort's first major project at the UO is helping to launch Internet Native Banner (INB), which uses a browser-based interface. Other projects include Administrative Services' Network Security Initiative, upgrading DuckWeb, and implementing the UO's LDAP Directory Service.