Burch retiring from Jockey Club Technology Services

Bobby Burch, whose nearly 30-year career working for the Jockey Club and its affiliated companies spanned the beginning of the computer age to modern technology, will retire as president of the Jockey Club Technology Services Inc. at the end of 2013. He intends to remain connected to the Jockey Club as a consultant.

Harold Palmer, the company’s vice president of software and a 30-year employee, will succeed Burch as head of TJCTS.

“It is difficult, if not impossible, to appreciate the size and scope of technological innovation —from the first personal computers in the early 1980s to the high-performance apps of today — that has evolved in the past three decades, and Bobby Burch richly deserves credit for leading those successful and wide-ranging efforts at The Jockey Club,” said James L. Gagliano, president and chief operating officer of the Jockey Club, in a press release. “Technical expertise has become a hallmark of the Jockey Club, and his vast experience and deep knowledge will be invaluable as he transitions into a consulting role for us.

“In a similar vein, Harold Palmer has a keen understanding of the Thoroughbred landscape and a wealth of experience with virtually every technological change at the Jockey Club over that same period of time, so he is perfectly suited to manage the strategic direction of TJCTS in the years ahead,” Gagliano said.

Burch joined the Jockey Club staff in 1985, was promoted to vice president, information technology group, in 1997, and to president of TJCTS in 2002.

Palmer joined the Jockey Club staff in 1983, was promoted to director, software development, in 1997, and to vice president, software development, in 2002.

TJCTS provides technology solutions that encompass software development, technology consulting, and hosting and managed services, and it operates a 24/7 network operations/data center. Formerly known as the Jockey Club’s Information Technology Group, it was repositioned as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Jockey Club in a 2002 restructuring of the Jockey Club companies.