Jim Riegert and the Story Behind Typewriters.com
Jim Riegert did not plan on a career in typewriters. A family connection to IBM, an early technical apprenticeship, and a willingness to move retail online turned an unexpected path into decades of typewriter expertise.
From Physics Student to IBM Technician
Growing up, Jim imagined becoming a nuclear physicist and enrolled at Georgia Tech as a physics major. Typewriters were already part of family life: his father worked as an IBM service manager, and promotions moved the family through several cities before they settled in Atlanta.
Jim took a part-time IBM installer job while still in high school. He set up machines and showed customers how to use them. When changed work hours and an unexpected car repair disrupted his college plans, he accepted a full-time role as an IBM typewriter service technician.
Four Decades at Progressive Methods
After IBM, Jim joined Progressive Methods, an Atlanta-area office-equipment company. He began as a service technician, moved into leadership, and eventually ran the business. That progression gave him experience with every side of the trade: diagnosing machines, sourcing parts, training customers, managing technicians, and adapting the company as office technology changed.
In 1985, Progressive Methods became an authorized dealer for IBM’s Wheelwriter line. Unlike the mechanical linkage and typeball of an IBM Selectric, a Wheelwriter uses electronic controls and an interchangeable printwheel. The platform became central to Jim’s later service and reconditioning work.
Taking a Typewriter Business Online
As personal computers and laser printers changed the office-equipment market, typewriters shifted from mainstream word processors to specialized tools. Jim responded by diversifying Progressive Methods and investing in internet retail.
He acquired the Typewriters.com domain in the late 1990s. The online operation developed over the following years, creating a national storefront for machines that still served form-filling, correspondence, focused writing, and other paper workflows.
A Career Built Around Adaptation
Early experience
Installs IBM machines, teaches customers, and trains as a full-time service technician.
Progressive Methods
Moves from technical service into leadership while the office-equipment market evolves.
1985: IBM Wheelwriter dealer
Progressive Methods becomes part of IBM’s authorized Wheelwriter dealer network.
Late 1990s and early 2000s: online expansion
Jim acquires Typewriters.com and develops the ecommerce business into a nationwide resource.
2019: a new chapter
Monroe Systems for Business acquires Typewriters.com, carrying the brand and its specialized expertise forward.
Why the Hands-On Knowledge Matters
A typewriter is not made dependable by a polished case alone. The machine must feed paper correctly, print evenly, accept the proper supplies, and repeat those actions through real work. Jim’s technician-first perspective helped shape the company’s documented 21-step reconditioning process.
That legacy continues in Typewriters.com’s selection of IBM Wheelwriters, other working typewriters, parts, printwheels, ribbons, correction products, and customer guidance.
Talk With a Typewriter Specialist
Need help choosing a machine or identifying a compatible supply? Call (404) 377-1884 or email info@typewriters.com.
