Thomas Persha is the president and owner of Bcc, Inc. He has been in business since 1976 selling software to a variety of users. His programs have been installed in many locations nationwide with the greatest concentration here in Southeastern Michigan. Many of his clients have been with him for over 25 years a fact for which he is extremely grateful and very proud. Today is June 15, 2009 and it was 33 years ago this month that Tom started Bcc, Inc. My name is Eric and I have been with BCC since it’s inception. Tom asked me to write a short biography of him for this website.
I am writing this at my desk in our new office building thinking back on those years and marveling at all of the changes that have taken place in this enterprise of Bcc, Inc. When Tom first started Bcc, Inc. there were no PC’s, no Microsoft and no computerized accounting software for small businesses like yours. No Internet, no CD’s and Windows were something that you cleaned in the spring and fall. I remember many of our first clients wondering whether or not BCC, Inc. would be around in 3 years to service their accounts. But we are thanks to the tenacity and creative thinking that Tom brings to his job as owner and CFO here at Bcc, Inc.
Over the years Tom has leaned to use Fortran IV, Assembly, Cobal, PL1, DOS, Business Basic, Dbase I, II, III …., Lotus, Word, Excel, Access, SQL Standard, Windows, Novell Server, Windows Server (2000, 2003), HTML, Power Point, Powerbuilder Versions 3,4,6 and 8, Watcom SQL, Microsoft SQL, Active X Controls, Object Oriented Programming, Microsoft API (very familiar with that!), Debugger, Batch Files, OLE 1.0 and 2.0, DDE, and on and on and on. So many ways to program a computer that I bet he can’t even remember them all. Many of them no longer in wide spread use but each and every one of them proclaimed by their creators to be the last word in advanced computer programming. Makes me smile to think about that!
Tom has sold, installed and used every form of computer hardware known to man. Large IBM machines, small portables, Multi-user systems, single user systems, stand alone configurations, interdependent operations, the list is endless. You would think that he would be a bit jaded by this time yet I know that he has enjoyed each and every new twist on all these old themes with relish and anticipation. He enjoys almost beyond measure the challenge of a new idea or the solution of an intractable problem. I guess that make me him “perfect computer geek”.
Tom was born and raised here in Michigan and loves this state. He attended Oakland University from 1965 thru 1969 from which he received his BS in Systems Engineering. He earned a masters in Systems Engineering by 1973 while he was working for Chrysler in Highland Park. He worked first as an Engineer and then in Contract Labor Relations. He left Chrysler in order to pursue a job in direct sales with a computer timeshare company called Cyphernetics. For those of you that don’t recall what timesharing was think internet with absolutely no pictures or features just remote programming.
After Cyphernetics he started Bcc, Inc. that was in 1976. He reasoned that if he could sell for Cyphernetics successfully, he could do it for himself and fortunately it only took about 5 years to prove the point. Since starting his own company, he has had many business opportunities including selling his software nationally under the brand name InAccounting Software which was owned by Rick and Joe Inatone at Inacomp. Developing the first (as far as I can tell) full screen accounting program that used its own database system. A program that was developed by Bcc, Inc. personal before Microsoft introduced its first DOS operating system. That program was the start of what eventually became Job Manager.
Bcc, Inc. Incorporated grew to employee more than 25 people with net sales approaching 1.5 million dollars by 1985. Unfortunately when it got to be that big Tom began to realize that size was not necessarily more profitable or enjoyable. From 1986 onward he began a program of reducing the size of my company and focusing exclusively on local sales. A decision that he has never regretted. Today Bcc, Inc. supports a group of local and national companies that have been very loyal to us. Tom enjoys what he does which is to support his current programs as well as to provide new programs to his clients as their needs change.
The Dispatch Manager Program that you are considering is, in my opinion, Tom’s finest work. The program has been in development for over two years and has been installed at number of our clients here in Michigan. It has proven to greatly increase productivity and performance of the clients that are using it. Not to mention the fact that service sales have more than doubled for them as well. If you are considering the purchase of this program, I could not recommend it more highly. I am sure that you will find it great asset to your company. An asset developed by one of the best programmers that I have known.