Jack Shea, Godfather of Equipment Rental Software, Dies at 84
Jack Shea, often referred to as the “godfather of equipment rental software” died recently at the age of 84. John J. Shea Jr., born in Woburn, Mass., was the founder of Solutions by Computer, one of the first companies dedicated to software particularly designed for equipment and tool rental as well as party rental.
As a CPA, Shea started in the rental industry as an executive at Taylor Rental in 1973, pioneering the use of computerization in managing rental stores. After leaving Taylor, he founded Solutions by Computer in 1982. Over the next three and a half decades, Shea carried out his vision of bringing technology to rental businesses of all sizes. After retiring from the business in 2018, Shea was recognized for his accomplishments by being inducted into the American Rental Association's Hall of Fame in 2021.
Shea, a frequent contributor to RER, had a vision of the entire equipment rental industry becoming computerized at a time when rental companies with software systems were few and far between. Shea believed that software systems would make rental companies far more efficient. He believed such systems should not only save rental companies money, but they should be reasonably priced and affordable to all sizes of rental companies. His systems at Solutions by Computers had hundreds of rental company customers.
Solutions was acquired by Constellation Software in 2008. Constellation also acquired Wynne Systems. Solutions was designed for smaller, independent rental companies, while Wynne was primarily used by larger firms. Constellation eventually formed InTempo Software.
Shea received his bachelors’ degree in accounting from Bentley College. He was married to his wife Ann Shea for 50 years until she passed away several years before him. He and his wife were avid travelers and visited dozens of countries together.
Shea is survived by his companion, Pat Kane; his three children – daughter Lisa and her husband Peter; son John “Jack” Jr. and his wife Laura; son Kurt and his wife Donna; and four grandchildren.
About the Author
Michael Roth
Editor
Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.