About Us

Born in Thomas Peter Cafora’s small radio shop in 1935, in the old Bullshead section of Bridgeport, Connecticut, TPC Associates has always been a forward-looking technology provider, focused on helping customers make the most of their technology acquistions. In the early days, Cafora called his business Radio Center, focusing on sales and service of radios to individuals and businesses.

When television arrived on the scene during the war years, Cafora embraced the fledgling multimedia technology and changed the company’s name to Radio TV Center. TVs were a prized commodity and hard to come by at first, but Cafora was so excited about television’s potential that he wanted everyone to enjoy it. Legend has it that during an important prize fight, Cafora let neighborhood passersby enjoy the proceedings from his storefront window. The crowd quickly grew so large that local police eventually had to break it up.

During the 1950s Cafora broadened the focus of his business becoming a more full-service communications technology provider. The product line grew to include language lab technology, AV products and services (including early work on media retrieval), healthcare communications (nurse call) and fire alarm.

During the 1960s and 70s, Cafora’s son, Thomas Peter Cafora Jr. joined the business and helped expand and solidify TPC, building out new expertise in fire alarms and professional sound installations. During this era, TPC established key relationships with Edwards Systems Technology (EST) and Rauland-Borg Corporation, cornerstone product lines in the firm’s emerging technology portfolio.

In 1984, Thomas P. Cafora III joined the business. The third-generation Cafora, provided new energy and leadership that allowed TPC to continue its innovative tradition while preparing the firm for the new technologies it would deliver. Tom is now President.

In 2003, TPC began to evolve its strong position with hospitals and commercial customers by expanding its mix of technology and services to include contemporary data and internet-driven voice, video, location, workflow, and sensor technology from Rauland, Sonitor, EST, Primex and others.

TPC’s “take-care-of-the-customer” DNA, especially the front-line technical resources, converge to combine technology and people. The company understood that its legacy of local hand-holding combined with best-in-class technologies is what customer success requires.

Now reaching customers in healthcare, education, commercial and institutional marketplaces, throughout the Northeast, TPC brings a unique cohesive approach to the technology needs of hospitals, schools, casinos, municipalities, and other markets. In the same way that first-generation Tom Cafora did way back in Bridgeport, CT in 1935, in the 2020’s TPC is helping customers make the most of new technology options while leveraging the investments they’ve already made.