Kevin always worked for someone else. He liked to work for someone else. He really never wanted to be self-employed. But after experiencing unemployment for over two years, out of necessity, Kevin moved to Angel Fire and became self-employed last June. It’s funny how life sometimes makes changes for us. Originally from Texas, he had taken a job in Chicago with its fast pace work ethics and international mentality. He worked IT for a manufacturing firm. He was the go-to guy. His boss had a way of asking him, “What if an asteroid hits tomorrow? Will our computer system survive?” Therefore Kevin spent a lot of time designing computer data disaster recovery plans to make that possible. After having spent fifteen years in the IT department, he couldn’t however, design a plan that would keep the company in business and thus lost his job.
His parents bought a home in Red River six years ago, so he moved to New Mexico to regroup. In 2012 he met Scott Cooper through a fellow church member, Stan Samuels. Scott hired him to do part time computer repair work. Then no sooner had that happened, Scott offered him his business. Deciding to give it a six-month trial period, Kevin moved to Angel Fire. He has been working six days a week since the move! A friend of his in Red River asked why he was moving and he laughingly replied, “I’m the Angel Fire Computer Guy.” The man said, “I like that. The Angel stands for good and honest, the Fire means you’re speedy and with your years of experience, computer guy stands on its own. Great name!” Kevin liked it, too. He even designed his logo around its meaning. The angel on his logo is a power button because he works on anything with a power button! Remember that, anything with a power button.
The goal of Angel Fire Computer Guy is to get his client’s computers to a level that they are comfortable with and running smoothly. I asked what he had to offer over any other computer repairmen and he told me a story. His first job was as a tutor in college. He had a professor with a dream. The dream was to open a center where any student could come and get help with anything. The dream came to fruition through grant monies and Kevin was the first employee. His job was to listen to other students and learn their problems. Then it was his job to figure out exactly what they really needed and come up with a solution to help them accomplish it. He uses this in computer repair and web design. First he asks his client a lot of questions. What do you really want? He doesn’t tell the client what they need, he allows the client to tell him. Not only does he bring his experience to their problem while figuring out the solution, he even goes a step further. While he is working on the solution, he engages his client and explains what he is doing. He says it’s a tutoring process. He wants the client to be able to comfortably work on their own computers, to know all their passwords and be able to have the confidence to utilize and move around their own web pages. He said, “Everyone should be in control of their own computer. I will teach them as I go. I don’t keep secrets; they should know what I am doing. What if I were to die tomorrow? I’d want them to know how to get into everything to continue their work.”
Kevin is happy to be in Angel Fire where he feels engaged in life. First of all he joined the Angel Fire Rotary Club. He likes to meet people and be a part of their service organization. Give him a call when you need assistance. He will repair your computer, perform virus removal, build and maintain PHP scripting and web design and maintenance. In this computer age we live in, Kevin believes the more business he can generate for your business through web design, search engine utilization and smooth running computer systems, the more business it will be for him. It’s a win-win situation. Sounds right to me!
