If their original concept doesn't work out, many business
owners understandably decide to close their doors.
Ralf Schwoerer just modified his concept, and it's a move
that's paying off pretty well for the native of Germany.
In 1997, only a couple of years after moving to the United
States, Schwoerer and his wife, Petra, opened Computer Edge
in the Galleria West shopping center on Pueblo's North Side.
They sold custom-built computers and experienced fast growth
at first, but increased competition from the arrival of
large chain stores led to declining sales after several
years.
Rather than continue to fight corporate retailers for his
share of the computer market, Schwoerer decided to concentrate
on other things he and his four employees know well: information
technology, security and Web site design. (The latter is
done under the name Toxic Pixels.)
With that change, they moved the business from its old
strip-mall location into a house at 414 W. 13th St., which
provides more work space and a comfortable atmosphere for
clients.
"We got rid of the stuff we don't like to do. If you
do stuff you like, you'll do a good job," Schwoerer
said.
The results appear to support his theory.
Computer Edge has a growing list of local clients, including
Pueblo Crime Stoppers, the Pueblo West Metropolitan District
and Summit Brick and Tile.
Schwoerer also is working on projects that could give the
company a national presence - something he wants to accomplish
as much for his American hometown as for his business. He
said he wants people to realize they can get high-quality
technological expertise - what he referred to as "Denver
standards" - right here.
His first opportunity to illustrate that will come in August
at the Crime Stoppers International conference in Cincinnati.
Because of Computer Edge's work with the local Crime Stoppers
site, he's been asked to speak at the event, and will gauge
the level of interest in developing sites for Crime Stoppers
chapters nationwide, many of which don't have any type of
Web presence right now.
For the Pueblo chapter, Schwoerer and his staff developed
an interactive site that now allows tips - and even photos
of suspects and/or crimes - to be submitted online anonymously.
They devised a program that makes the tipster's identity
completely untraceable.
"We have a proven concept," he said. "It
is a working solution; we just need to let people know."
Officers who are responsible for maintaining the site can
do so from the police station with a few clicks of a mouse,
updating wanted lists, adding or deleting cases and updating
statistics.
"They don't have to contact us to get any (information)
changed. They can do it themselves," said programmer
Tyler Cox. "Hopefully, we'll be getting it out to other
Crime Stoppers organizations, because it's a real useful
tool."
Toxic Pixel's clients can monitor the construction of their
Web page on a site developed specifically for them and potential
customers: www.toxicpickles.com.
The site also provides basic information about design services
such as prices and options. Schwoerer thinks that type of
accessibility is paramount to establishing a good working
relationship with clients. He said he wants them to understand
exactly what's being done each step of the way.
"We want our customers to stick with us," he
said. "We want to give them a service they can't get
anywhere else."
Schwoerer also stresses the significance of security, especially
in a post-9/11 virtual world. Unfortunately, he said, people
normally come to him after they've experienced a problem,
not before.
"If people don't update their PCs, if they don't secure
their PCs, they're in trouble," he said. "Computers
are like a marriage: When you think you don't have to worry
about it, that's when trouble starts."
He recommends computer owners have a firewall, antivirus
software and at least one anti-spyware program installed
on their machines. For business networks, the process can
be much more complicated and requires constant monitoring,
he said.
"It's just a very quick-changing field we're in,"
Schwoerer said. "The bad thing about the Internet is
it's evolving by the minute. The good thing about the Internet
is it's evolving by the minute."
The phone number for Computer Edge is 544-0007. Outside
of Pueblo, the number is (888) 245-0735
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