Amcom History

Amcom was founded by Steve McClary on April 1st 1973 in the San Francisco Bay area. Steve had previously been employed at the Carnation Milk Co. as the Director of Information Technology. He partnered with a fellow employee at Carnation, Gene Dailey. Their first office was in a small, cramped basement. They developed custom applications for local businesses and processed their information.

The company grew from 0 customers to 2000+ over the years by word-of-mouth. Neither Steve or Gene had a sales or marketing background...they were techies. They focused on integrity, trust, value and customer service. The “word-of-mouth marketing” worked well.  The company grew rapidly despite early computer fears and distrust.

Amcom was one of the first companies to offer a subscription-based product with no contract.  A handshake, performance and trust on both sides was all that drove the relationship.  It worked.

Luck & timing are always important ingredients in business. In 1978, Amcom got its first wholesale jobber client.  Fortunately for Amcom, an employee of a local jobber wandered into Amcom’s office by mistake. He wanted a paper tape converted immediately. That began Amcom’s entry into the oil industry. Again, through word-of-mouth, Amcom gained 75+ jobbers as clients.

In 1983, Amcom was referred to the Union Oil Co. by one of its jobbers. Union Oil was looking to develop a computer system for its dealers. That was the beginning of Amcom’s venture into the retail side of the oil industry. Amcom eventually went on to sign agreements with almost all of the major oil companies. Well 1500+ dealers used the service station and convenience store apps.

Amcom has provided technical services for a variety of industries. In 1999, the company divided itself in two divisions. One for the oil industry and one for custom applications. This allowed Amcom to focus on each area.

Retirement has always been a dream for most people. On January 1, 2016, Mr, McClary retired after finding homes for Amcom’s two divisions and employees. Steve didn’t find retirement rewarding however, and when International Resources Inc. (IRI) and the Neilsen Co. approached him to help provide analytical information to the convenience store industry, Amcom was back in business. Retirement lasted six months. 

Technology is going through another period of fear and distrust…much like the 1970s and ‘80s.  Despite this, Amcom continues to prosper because of its core values. 

Integrity, trust, value and customer service are always products that sell and succeed.