our story

We began as a consulting company for dealerships. We worked to streamline the Service department, identify lost sales opportunities, improve profit margins, and help with bookkeeping.

One day, a Chevrolet dealer asked for help with their Parts department. After working with staff, we created a brand-new inventory management software and counter sales system. These steps increased profits for the dealer, and inventory was no longer a mystery process either.

Around this same time, General Motors™ had stopped publishing their price books, and the need for parts catalog management surged. We responded by updating the software to manage these new pricing catalogs. The spark to create R.O. Writer was ignited!

R.O. Writer began as a DOS application — a text-based interface. The software’s popularity grew quickly, with word-of-mouth sales, few worthy competitors and ease of use.

The Windows version came out in 1996. Marketed as an “easy to use shop management software”, the processes were closely aligned with the real world — unlike other systems of the day. Shops were up and running quickly, and could add new items and people to the system in real time instead of through a lengthy setup process. They also were introduced to the ’Work In Progress’ screen for the first time — something no one else at the time was doing.

Our success didn’t go unnoticed. One of our customers decided it made good business sense, both strategically and operationally, to acquire the company. In 2001, Midas purchased Progressive Automotive Systems and the R.O. Writer product, moving the entire operation to Itasca, IL in 2004.

Midas saw benefits from our success in retail, and strategically they were able to add customizations for their franchise operations; our retail customers saw them, too. Our staff took great care to keep the retail customers and Midas operations separate, including hardware infrastructure, websites and data.

In 2012, TBC Corporation finalized an agreement to purchase Midas International, and its subsidiaries including Progressive Automotive Systems and the R.O. Writer product. Both operations were moved to the West Palm Beach area starting in 2013 and the Itasca offices closed in April.

New management took over Progressive Automotive Systems as an independent line of business. TBC Corporation officially entered the commercial software industry and has its resources at the disposal of the R.O. Writer team to make the best possible software package for independent shop operators and franchisees.