Short answers, pulled from the story.
Simulations Publications, Inc. was founded in 1969 by Jim Dunnigan and Redmond Simonsen. The company was established to keep the magazine Strategy & Tactics in publication after Dunnigan acquired it from Christopher Wagner.
Each issue of Strategy & Tactics included a complete wargame comprising a map, rule book, and a sheet of die-cut counters. This format turned a hobbyist magazine into a product that delivered immediate playability and set the company apart from its competitors.
Simulations Publications, Inc. entered into an arrangement with Lorimar Productions to produce the Dallas role-playing game in 1980. The game proved to be an infamous failure with 80,000 copies printed and 79,999 of them considered too many.
Simulations Publications, Inc. was effectively out of business in early 1982 when it was forced to give over its inventory stock to TSR. TSR acquired the assets of the company in 1983 but refused to honor SPI subscriptions or take on its debts and liabilities.
Simulations Publications, Inc. won the Charles S. Roberts Award for Best Professional Magazine in 1974, 1975, 1976, and 1977. The company also won the All Time Best Fantasy Board Game of 1977 for War of the Ring.