Terry Wynne, co-founder of Wynne Systems, has passed away at the age of 65. This remembrance aims to celebrate the transformative effect his work has had on the equipment rental industry.
Born in Minnesota, Terry spent his formative years in Long Beach, California. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Cal State Long Beach, Terry’s career began with a stint at IBM. There, he learned two things about himself: he had a knack for enterprise computing and corporate culture was not his style.
As a result, Terry left IBM to work as a computer programmer at Tool Crib, a Pasadena-based equipment rental company. Combining his business acumen with a keen eye for detail, Terry developed pioneering software to power Tool Crib’s operations. Terry’s work was so successful that it soon inspired a software-focused spinoff company where he travelled across North America installing his software.
After a decade of establishing himself as the foremost authority on rental software, Terry co-founded Wynne Systems alongside his sister Marlene in 1991. As part of a cadre of programmers, Terry developed his magnum opus, RentalMan, an ERP software platform that propelled Wynne Systems to success. Renowned for its unparalleled breadth of functionality, RentalMan soon became an industry standard among the equipment rental industry’s largest companies, including United Rentals.
In 1998, Terry and Marlene sold Wynne Systems to United Rentals, enabling Terry to retire at the age of 43. He spent the remainder of his life dedicated to his family and philanthropical efforts for the Long Beach community.
"I was privileged to start working at Wynne Systems very early in the company’s history. Terry Wynne had a vast knowledge of the industry we serve and willingly passed that along to his employees. He was an outstanding person to work with from both a professional and personal perspective. He placed real value on those of us who worked for him. He will be greatly missed."
Dan DeatonSoftware Architect
“Rest easy, Terry. Being one of your earliest customers led me to enjoy one of the greatest, most rewarding career choices in my life, Wynne Systems. It was such a pleasure to know you and thank you for initiating the RentalMan platform that has positively changed so much for all of our customers. I will forever be thankful we still carry the name and login to TERRY.”
Becky HuusfeldtImplementation Specialist
"Terry was an inspiration to us all. He came into an industry of strong personalities and complex problems. With his ability to cut right to the core of a complex problem and solve it with a very common sense approach, Terry was a natural. We were all privileged to work with and for Terry. I will be forever grateful to him for his influence on my career and life."
Patrick StephensVP, Product
“Terry Wynne had the greatest influence on the information evolution of the construction equipment rental industry. Terry’s legacy, Wynne Systems, has been the single most important tool that the industry has seen. Today’s metric driven organization’s success is largely built on Terry’s vision. Anybody who knew Terry always referenced his generosity and drive. Anyone who worked with Terry felt more like a family atmosphere rather than a workplace. The industry has lost one its greatest pioneers. I have the highest respect for Terry and I am humbled in following the trail that he envisioned.”
John BureauPortfolio Manager
