Reynolds and Reynolds has named Tommy Barras as the company’s new President and Chief Operations Officer.
Barras was part of Universal Computer Systems (UCS) in 1976 — years before the company acquired Reynolds and Reynolds and merged the operations of both companies under the Reynolds and Reynolds brand. Back then, Barras was working in computer operations management, and moved into programming in 1981. He has been involved in software development ever since.
“I was able to join an industry during some of its earliest and most formative years,” said Barras. “Programming and software quickly became second nature to me. I am a self-taught programmer. I’d read something once, it would stick. It was intuitive to me, logical, and I tackled every bit of it I could.”
Barras also led the architecture and development of the company’s DMS – POWER, “which gave UCS the lead with a complete GUI application suite for dealers,” said Reynolds and Reynolds.
Over time, Barras managed every aspect of the company’s software, technology, and product development organizations. He has also led hardware R&D, networking, and internal IT functions — including building the Reynolds Data Center at Research Park in Dayton, OH.
His new position as President and COO at the company took effect on June 3.
