Uncategorized

ATR Systems: nearly 40 years later, a workforce management tech company evolves in Warminster

It was a long shot, starting a clock-in system company in the basement of his Doylestown home with the pitter-patter of two kids echoing on the floorboards above. Mike Hoover’s father, Tom, had some experience in the field, but he was sinking most of what he had into this company in 1973. After time served […]

To show off its workforce management tools, last fall, ATR Systems installed 60 silent, synchronized clocks at the Curtis Institute near Rittenhouse.

It was a long shot, starting a clock-in system company in the basement of his Doylestown home with the pitter-patter of two kids echoing on the floorboards above. Mike Hoover’s father, Tom, had some experience in the field, but he was sinking most of what he had into this company in 1973.

After time served in the U.S. Army and another small venture, Tom Hoover started Accurate Time Recorders, or ATR Systems. Today, the company, headed by his son Michael Hoover and located in Warminster, Bucks County, fulfills the needs of more than 2,000 businesses.

With only about four employees, including his mother and father, Michael Hoover has evolved the business from paper punch cards to cloud-based biometric time recorder systems. Their goal is to offer technological solutions to the human-error-prone, non-automated time management systems that many companies still use.

“You can go to Staples to buy a time clock and shove it on the wall, but that won’t give you the kind of support we offer,” said Laura Hoover, a spokeswoman for the company and Michael’s wife. See, it’s most certainly a family operation.

ATR offers custom solutions for each client, boasts Laura, a distinction many smaller, family businesses make in any industry.

The field has come a long way since the 70’s and so has ATR Systems. Last fall, the company installed 60 synchronized clocks at the Curtis Institute in Rittenhouse, and in January, with its paper-saving mission, ATR joined the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia. The company also specializes in job cost, labor analytics and human resources.

Hoover, a graduate of Penn State in 1999, holds a degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. He is also an active member of the Board of Directors for Independent Time and Labor Management Association.

ATR System has remained something of a small technology company for 40 years, no small feat. Its future rests on whether it will continue to remain agile and looking toward the future.

This is a report done in partnership with Temple University’s Philadelphia Neighborhoods program, the capstone class for the Temple’s Department of Journalism.

Companies: ATR Systems
Engagement

Join the conversation!

Find news, events, jobs and people who share your interests on Technical.ly's open community Slack

Trending

How venture capital is changing, and why it matters

What company leaders need to know about the CTA and required reporting

The ‘Amazon of science stores’ and 30 other vendors strut their stuff for Philly biotech

Why the DOJ chose New Jersey for the Apple antitrust lawsuit

Technically Media