New software program aids insurance companies

A computer software package developed by local programmer Jerry Gentry is aimed at helping insurance agencies access Missouri state licensing data for coverage applicants and policyholders.

The program was developed under Gentry's latest venture, MicroGen Soft-ware Inc., and it took him about six months to develop it, he said.

"I enjoy writing programs that help businesses," he said.

The raw data has to be converted into information that is usable by the insurance company. The data comes from tapes provided by the state of Missouri. The tapes come in sets of eight and can only be read with special equipment. Gentry said he pays $2,300 for each set.

Although most larger insurance companies have their own systems for ac-cessing the licensing data, smaller firms have had to wade through the raw data to get the information, which was costly and time consuming, Gentry said. He has organized the material in a way to make it quick and easy.

Gentry's main customer base is in Springfield, although he has clients in Columbia and Jefferson City. Because insurance agents want fresh data, the information has to be updated at least every 60 to 90 days. Gentry hopes to increase his clientele so he can afford to update the information monthly.

The CD package he produces can be purchased starting at $45, depending on how much customization is needed, Gentry said.

Insurance companies are not the only users of the in-formation. Gentry has a number of attorneys and private investigators on his client list. But because these customers, unlike insurance agents, do not need the service on a daily basis, Gentry has developed a Web site, www. momvr.com, where they can access the data for $1 a hit.

Gentry has to keep records of each Missouri license accessed and users must have an ID number registered with the state.

While MicroGen Software is Gentry's latest venture, he's no stranger to the computer industry. He graduated from Missouri University with a bachelor degree in mathematics in 1963. He be-came hooked on computers when he was chosen by his ROTC leader to work on military research, using the school's huge vacuum-tube system.

"The system was as big as a house," he said.

After graduation, Gentry was one of four people chosen to set up the computer system for the St. Louis Public School system. He wanted to get into aeronautics but learned he needed a master's degree, so he went back to school. Then he went to work for Boeing in Wichita, Kan., where he stayed for five years.

"Back in the old days, we had to write code on paper," he said. "It was a big improvement when the screen and keyboard were developed."

While at Boeing, Gentry was transferred to Philadelphia. He and his wife Joan, both Missouri natives, preferred the Midwest to the East Coast. In 1972 they decided to settle in Springfield. Gentry then spent the next 15 years as a programmer for City Utilities.

Gentry began to think about developing a computer language for beginners. As computers became more widely used in the 1980s there was an increasing need for software that novice users could understand.

Gentry developed a software program he named Eng.Lan and started his own business to package and promote the product under the business name Gentry Software Inc.

In the early 1990s Gentry began working on software for businesses under the same corporate name.

"I bought information from the U.S. Department of Transportation and Fed-eral Highway Administration and wrote programs for insurance companies about the trucking industry," he said.

Gentry built clientele through word-of-mouth, and by the year 2000, the company grew to be quite successful. That same year, he sold the business to another software company and dissolved Gentry Software Inc.

Gentry's wife Joan, a retired teacher, keeps the books and records for Micro-Gen Software Inc. The couple tried retirement briefly for about a week after dissolving Gentry Software Inc., but found that it wasn't for them.