John ‘Jack’ Shea Jr.

John “Jack” Shea Jr., InTempo Software, Springfield, Mass.

With a career in the rental industry spanning nearly 45 years, Jack Shea helped transform the industry through computerization. Prior to founding Solutions by Computer (SBC) in 1982, Shea was responsible for the operations of the company-owned stores of Taylor Rental. In this role, he pioneered the use of computerization in managing a rental store and its assets, bringing technology to these stores as well as 625 franchised Taylor Rental Centers. This work served as the first step in the evolution of SBC.

Early on, Shea was met with skepticism and resistance from rental operators, but he did not let that deter his vision of bringing affordable technology to rental businesses of all sizes. He fostered early adopters of his systems and then engaged them to help steer future software development efforts. Shea was one of the first people in the rental industry to talk about the importance of realizing returns above the cost of capital and documenting the financial performance of rental assets.

As an executive at Taylor Rental, Shea developed software for franchisees called Taylor Owners Program of Information and Control (TOPIC) which provided analytics to improve decision making in their businesses. His next development was SBC’s Counter Pro software which could be used to write and process transactions, and it also used information to proactively prevent problems from occurring.

Solutions was acquired by Constellation Software in 2008, and in 2015 the company joined forces with a portion of Wynne Systems, also owned by Constellation, to form InTempo Software.

Shea was awarded the ARA Special Service Award in 1988 to recognize his industry service and the knowledge he shared with former employees who over the years have also become technology leaders.