The Dwyer Group acquires Neocom, Inc., forms new subsidiary ZorWare, Inc.

The Dwyer Group has announced the formation of a new subsidiary company called ZorWare, Inc., which has acquired the assets of Cleveland-based Neocom, Inc.

Neocom was the software development manufacturer of Z-Ware, a proprietary software for The Dwyer Group designed to connect the company's thousands of Franchise owners, employees and service and repair technicians across the U.S. and the world via the Internet.

"Z-Ware has become such an integral part of our organization," said Mike Bidwell, chief operating officer of The Dwyer Group. "Bringing the company on board full-time provides us with a tremendous opportunity to maximize our software programs and build on our competitive advantage."

Neocom's Cleveland office has closed and personnel have moved to The Dwyer Group's World Headquarters in Waco, Texas, where operations will be expanded. Tom Thomas has been named president of ZorWare, and Laurie Wotawa has been named vice president of operations.

"Our immediate goal is to double the size of the support team," Bidwell said. In addition to the relocation of the programming team from Cleveland, The Dwyer Group has transferred existing staff to ZorWare and plans to make additional hires in the next several months.

Z-Ware software, which was rolled out nationally at The Dwyer Group's annual reunion this summer, includes electronic dispatching, payroll automation, invoicing, collections, work orders, inventory tracking, customer and prospect marketing, weekly sales analysis, automated reports, electronic royalty reporting, vehicle maintenance management, HR, QuickBooks interfacing, and more. It will operate any franchisee's business in the Dwyer Group's system, regardless of the trade. That includes: Mr. Rooter®, Rainbow International®, Mr. Appliance®, Mr. Electric®, Aire Serv®, Glass Doctor®, and associate company DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen.

More than 180 franchise owners already have incorporated Z-Ware into their local operations throughout the U.S. By forming ZorWare in-house and increasing the support team to the entire Dwyer Group network, Bidwell expects to speed up the adoption of the software across the company.

"Our businesses service millions of homes, and we've already seen the software eliminate human error, reduce paperwork, increase efficiency, and give real-time reporting," Bidwell said. "ZorWare will help us offer the necessary software support for a national and international operation of The Dwyer Group's strength. It's just one more benefit to being part of our franchise system."

About The Dwyer Group:

The Dwyer Group Inc., based in Waco, Texas, is a public holding company that owns six franchisor corporations. Each corporation sells and supports a different service-based brand name franchise under the following service marks: Aire Serv® Heating & Air Conditioning, Glass Doctor®, Mr. Appliance®, Mr. Electric®, Mr. Rooter® (Drain Doctor® in the UK), and Rainbow International® Carpet Care and Restoration Specialist. The Dwyer Group is also affiliated with another franchisor corporation named DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen by Worldwide® (an associate company). Collectively, the franchisees of these franchise concepts offer customers a broad base of residential and commercial services. The concepts currently support approximately 900 franchisees in the United States and Canada and, through their master licensees, nearly 400 more franchisees in 21 other countries.