The Unmitigated Gall of Dave Wallace

Although it was not my intention to screen any of the comments posted on this blog, there was one comment that I chose not to post.  It was written on August 28th, 2008 from someone claiming to be named Frank McDonald.  It came from the IP address 76.70.96.74 .  I felt it was suspicious that Dave e-mailed later and mentioned this ”person he knows” who tried to post a comment on the site but was ignored.  Funny thing is, I tried e-mailing this “Frank” character but got no response from the yahoo e-mail address that was left behind.  Apparently, “Frank” thinks that Dave can “hold his head high and remember he did the best he could and always looked out for his employees and customers.”  He thinks that Brent “should not focus on a few writeoffs“.  Sorry “Frank” but I will never consider six weeks of my life plus expenses “a few writeoffs”.  “Frank” went on to call one of the other blog commenters a “retard“.

The only other attack on this blog came from the lawyer representing Dave Wallace.  The letter dated October 9th, 2008 states:

Your blog suggests that Mr. Wallace has walked away from his debts.  Such comments are false and defamatory.  If you continue to maintain this blog and to publish defamatory comments about Mr. Wallace, he will take the appropriate proceedings to protect his reputation and to obtain compensation for all damages suffered.

To respond to the statement of Dave’s lawyer, I will clarify that I have never suggested that Dave has never paid off a single debt in his life.  What I am saying though is that Dave requested that I perform several weeks of work for his company.  I performed this work and spent my own money on travel expenses in the process.  Dave’s company was paid for the courses that I taught, but none of that money was passed on to me, not even the money I spent on expenses.

I understand that the courses I taught were for ADI and that Dave Wallace may not therefore be personally liable.  I also understand as Dave’s “friend” Frank says that “companies go out of business all the time“.  However, Dave’s evasiveness in responding to any of my questions about the closing down of his company and the transfer of assets to TriStar has been deplorable.

An e-mail from Dave on October 5, 2008 simply states: “I don’t owe anyone an explanation.”  How else can I deal with this situation except take it public?

I stand by everything I have said in this blog.  I encourage everyone who has dealings with David Wallace to read through the pages of this site and understand how Dave has conducted himself in his dealings with his contractors.

Brent Curry

David Wallace

This blog has been started to bring together everyone who has been adversely affected by David Wallace either through Dave’s current position at TriStar or through Dave’s past ownership of ADI.  It is my hope that by sharing information we will be able to better understand what happened when TriStar acquired the assets of ADI sometime around February 2007 and why so many people have been left with invoices unpaid by ADI while Dave Wallace continues to carry on with much of the same business as before just under the TriStar name.

ADI was a PTC reseller specializing in sales, services and training in PTC’s product line including Pro|ENGINEER and Windchill.

Around February 2007, Dave Wallace wound down the business of ADI, and gave most of his contractors the impression that it was a simple case of bankruptcy.  He began by saying that the money was in the hands of the banks and that it would take a few weeks to determine if there would be any money left to pay all of the remaining debts.

In the weeks and months that followed, many of us would continue to phone Dave asking for updates, but he would rarely respond.  Eventually, he told many of us by phone that there was no money left to pay the debts owed to us.  However, he has refused to send out anything in writing, which confirms that he does not have the legal right to walk away from his debts.

Dave Wallace is now employed by TriStar to run TriStar’s Canadian operations.  Many of ADI’s former clients have had their contracts for sales and service of Pro|ENGINEER and Windchill products transferred over to TriStar.  It is not clear whether they were given any choice in this matter.

Since TriStar is now carrying on with much of ADI’s former business, it has been suggested that TriStar might now be responsible for paying off ADI’s outstanding debts.  TriStar’s president Patrick Maderia has thus far refused to address inquiries relating to this matter.

If anyone has any experiences with Dave Wallace, ADI or TriStar, please feel free to post your story in the comments section of this web site.