SOUTH NEW BERLIN – In May, two local computer companies partnered to open the Computer Warehouse Outlet in hopes of offering customers a one-stop location for all their computer needs.
The founding companies, Remote Tech Solutions and DK Recycling, can both be found inside the warehouse located at 3446 State Highway 8 in South New Berlin.
Remote Tech Solutions, owned by Jeremiah Wilbur and Elle Meeks, specializes in a computer repair, customer education and anti-malware installations. The former software developers and Geek Squad technicians recently moved to the area from California.
“We fix and refurbish computers, and we do web site design and hosting. We can do remote repairs, meaning we can check out a person’s home system from the Computer Warehouse,” explained Wilbur.
“Customers give us access and we go over the Internet through a secure third party site, LogMeIn Rescue, where we can connect to the client’s computer, do diagnostics and some repairs, without even leaving the store,” said Meeks.
The couple said they can troubleshoot a wide range of computer problems and offer varying warranties with repairs. Wilbur said much of the company’s work involves reselling refurbished computers.
The DK Recycling Company has been around since June 2006 and is owned by Keith Barker and Deborah Collins-Barker. The business collects outdated machinery and ensures all secured data found on them is properly destroyed. The company then salvages the basic computer components, such as aluminum and copper, or sends restorable machines to Remote Tech Solutions to be refurbished and resold.
“We are a computer recycling and data security specialist. Basically we ensure any sensitive information on a PC or equipment is destroyed. We give clients an affidavit of destruction proving the intellectual, proprietary, or personal information was properly destroyed,” said Keith.
Deborah said the business services over a hundred northern New York school districts and handles between 12,000 to 15,000 pounds of obsolete computer equipment a week. Keith said the store was happy to collect resident’s old computers and monitors free of charge.
“If there is someone out there cleaning their back rooms, give us a call or they can just drop it off during regular store hours,” he said.
The warehouse is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. To contact the Warehouse or either of its businesses, call 859-2720.
“The Computer Warehouse Outlet is a joint venture that basically allows two companies that are similar businesses to spread their risks and share resources. It was a great solution for DK Recycling and has let us expand,” said Keith. “We always wanted to do retail, but never had the time of resource to devote to it.”
With Remote Tech Solutions restoring some of the suitable computers collected by DK Recycling, the Computer Warehouse Outlet can then sell them for a few hundred dollars; some can even be purchased for less than $100.
“One of the main reasons why we wanted to open a store front is because we were selling a lot of pretty good computers. I know a lot of friends that need a PC, but can’t even afford $600, $800 from Walmart,” said Keith. “Any student is handicapped without a computer. It’s something that raises the standard of living.”
In the near future, Meeks said she hopes Remote Tech Solutions will offer beginning computer classes covering a number of topics from online navigation, personal security, basic operating use and even eBay account management.
The partnerships also sells reseller-lots to other local computer companies for about $25 to $40 a computer. The systems are recycled computers that are stripped of nearly all their software and resold to area programmers who build a specific system for their clients.
“There are a lot of people who possess those skills locally and work out of their homes,” said Keith.
Learn more about the businesses by visiting www.computerwarehouseoutlet.com, www.DKRecycling.com or www.remotetechsolutions.com.