Scale Buyers' Guide was founded in 1996 by William and Gayle Ryan. William had spent many years in the computer programming, industrial process control, and weighing industries. Gayle's background was in accounting, customer service, and sales. The combination was an excellent foundation for a business start up.
Scale Buyers' Guide established the first Internet presence for numerous scale companies, large and small, by providing a basic web page with an email link. A directory of scale manufacturers and distributors was established by listing companies in product categories and providing links to their web sites. William envisioned what a time saving tool Scale Buyers' Guide could be, and hence, the birth of the "Request for Quote" feature. People simply enter their request once and submit it to any or all of the companies listed. The decision not to sell banner ads or other forms of advertising has kept the site focused and user friendly.
Scale Buyers' Guide has served numerous industries including: aerospace, agriculture, bakery, chemical, confectionery, dairy, food and beverage, marine, medical, mineral process, pharmaceutical, railway, transportation, waste and many others.
William passed away unexpectedly in 2002. The working retirement he so looked forward to wasn't meant to be. At the age of 17, his youngest daughter, Patricia, took on the challenge of developing a program to replace the software that her father created.