Intertec Data Systems
| Company type | Public (after 1981 IPO) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer hardware |
| Founded | 1973 |
| Founder | William Wells |
| Defunct | 1991 |
| Fate | Filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and liquidated |
| Successor | Wells American Corporation (renamed in 1986) |
| Headquarters | Columbia , United States |
Key people | William Wells (founder), Ron Wells (later leader) |
| Products | Superbrain microcomputer, CompuStar multiuser microcomputer, HeadStart semi-portable PC, A-Star PC |
Intertec Data Systems Corporation, which was later renamed Wells American Corporation, operated as a U.S.-based computer enterprise from 1973 until 1991, headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina.
History
William Wells, formerly a researcher at IBM, established Intertec with an initial emphasis on producing affordable video terminals. In 1979, the company unveiled the Superbrain, a compact all-in-one microcomputer powered by the Zilog Z80 processor and running the CP/M operating system. The following year, Intertec introduced the CompuStar, a desktop-style multiuser microcomputer.
Early sales were promising, with revenues reaching $17.2 million and a profit of $3.7 million by 1981, the same year the company pursued an initial public offering. Nevertheless, Intertec faced significant challenges competing against IBM's 1981 Personal Computer, which rapidly became dominant in the market. In an effort to regain ground, December 1983 saw the release of the HeadStart—a semi-portable integrated system featuring an Intel 8086 CPU compatible with most IBM PC DOS applications alongside a Z80 processor for CP/M compatibility. Unfortunately, limited IBM PC compatibility hindered the HeadStart’s success, triggering drastic workforce reductions from 600 employees in 1983 to merely 12 by mid-1985.
In 1986, leadership transitioned to Ron Wells, William's younger sibling, who rebranded the company as Wells American Corporation. The organization then concentrated on developing fully IBM PC compatible machines, launching the A-Star model that year. By 1988, Wells American introduced a revamped CompuStar supporting both the open Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus and IBM’s proprietary Micro Channel architecture from their PS/2 series—an attempt to broaden appeal amid shifting PC platform standards.
Despite these strategic moves, Wells American was unable to restore financial stability. Manufacturing and marketing operations ceased in the U.S. by 1990, and in 1991 the company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, resulting in liquidation of its assets.