RETIRED MEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GREENWICH, Inc. (RMA)

Invites you to a presentation on Webinar, July 29th at 11:00 a.m.

To sign up for the webinar log on to: https://bit.ly/30IBj21 

In 1965, Gordon Moore, the co-founder of Intel Corporation, observed: “The number of transistors on a microchip doubles about every two years, though the cost of computers is halved. And, the growth of microprocessors is exponential.” These became tenets of “Moore’s Law.”

On Main Street, USA, we call this “Deflation.” Could you imagine if this phenomenon were true in every business? Automobiles would sell for $1,000. Wouldn’t it be nice if the average home in Greenwich sold for $250,000, not $2,500,000, and new construction was always twice as good as last year’s? Not so nice for homebuilders, realtors, insurers, or our Town coffers!

At eight years old, András István Gróf escaped Nazi German-occupied Hungary. At 20, he immigrated to the United States and changed his name to Andy Grove. He became Intel’s third employee and visionary CEO. He lived by the motto,“Only the paranoid survive.”

Brian Desrosier, President of Computer SuperCenter and Lighthouse Technology Partners, has been forced to live by Andy’s motto and develop one of his own: “A little competition is a good thing, but a lot of competition is horrible.” Extreme competition in a deflationary business is terrible for everyone. Gross Margin dollars drop at the same time as Gross Margin Percentage. How does a company deliver a “white glove” customer experience? To build a successful business, you must attract and pay top people. How?  Desrosier will explain the concept of “Digital Transformation” in the world, how it is driving small business owners out of business, while some are flourishing. What does this mean to our Town and each one of us?

Desrosier’s experience began in 1981 as a $3.50-per-hour Radio Shack Computer Center “Manager in Training.” He worked in an original Tandy Radio Shack & Leather location.  At the Tandy Corporation 1983 annual meeting in Ft. Worth, CEO John Roach presented Brian with the prestigious “Leaders Club” Jacket, Manager-of-the-Year Diamond Ring, and a replica of his “Top Ten Paycheck.” All that was charged against his Computer Center P&L and his bonus!

Desrosier opened his own “Entre’ Computer Center” in 1984 on West Putnam Avenue. He went on to build the Computer SuperCenter building on Mason Street and founded Lighthouse Technology Partners. Today, Lighthouse Technology Partners is Microsoft’s “Cloud Partner of The Year,” and Computer SuperCenter is one of Apple’s top Authorized Service Providers.

Brian will recount the events and difficult lessons learned on the mean streets of Greenwich, CT. You’ll hear his odyssey battling bullying “Partners” like IBM, Apple, Microsoft, and Cisco. Harrowing business stories of employee theft and unfair business practices. Obstacles include the advent of Mail Order, manufacturer-direct selling, and overpopulation of the dealer channel. Al Gore invented the internet and then Jeff Bezos, “Amazon.” Desrosier’s never-say-die endurance is combined with perpetual redefining and reimagining his business where the velocity of change is only accelerating.

And then there was a pandemic.

Program next week:   August 5, Robert Gallucci, American academic and diplomat, former dean of  School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.  “Conversation with Robert Gallucci on America’s Place in the World.”

The Greenwich Retired Men’s Association offers a free Webinar program every Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. For additional information see www.greenwichrma.org or contact us by e-mail at info@greenwichrma.org.

For over 30 years, Computer SuperCenter has been the go-to place in town for quality Computer Service and Solutions. We’ve se­­­­en so much change in technology from our start to today, and it has been truly amazing to be a part of our customers technology journeys. From watching your children go from their first Laptop to an Apple Macbook for college, or seeing a Small Business grow from three to thirty employees, we appreciate every one of you.

Nothing is going away but a lot more is coming!

In the early 2000’s Lighthouse Technology Partners was created and took hold on the 2^nd floor of the Computer SuperCenter building. Formerly this Mason Street location was a Bank with a full parking lot. The building now has two thriving IT Businesses, helping not only people, but also businesses with their computer, networking, and IT Systems support needs. We always look at ourselves as a big family and all our customers are a part of it. Many familiar faces have been here for more than 20 years with at least another 20 more to go.

In 2018 we decided the best way to continue to improve our quality of service, the responsiveness of our support, and find new ways to offer value in our community, would be to formally merge Computer SuperCenter with Lighthouse Technology Partners.

Overlap has always existed between the two businesses, the employees, customers and services, and now we are officially bringing it all together. While we are having a physical renovation of our building and office space, we are having an internal renovation as well. The two teams of experienced professionals will now be a cohesive force of I.T. experts.

Key Highlights about our transformation

New Learning and Training Facility: We will be offering a variety of events and providing opportunities for everyone to take a lesson and learn from our experienced technical staff.

Computer Support: The Apple & Windows Computer Support you have come for will be even better with enhanced technician workstations, repair tracking and more!

Professional Onsite Technical Services: Services for the home, family and small to medium size business.

Subscription Support Services: High-value support for all the technology requirements you have – from a highly qualified team of trusted technical advisers.

Fabulous New Device Bar: A refined product selection more in line with the changing needs of the modern shopper.

A new name “Lighthouse Main Street Solutions” will be what you see when visiting 103 Mason Street soon. Everything you have come to Computer SuperCenter for in the past will still be here and will only be better! Computer Service, Support, Guidance, for people and Small Business, all the way to sizable professional service firms.

Our commitment to providing exemplary service is getting stronger and we can’t wait to unveil our new office space. This is a special time in our history and we are happy you will be a part of it.

We are still open for business as usual during the renovation and everyone is welcome. Mon-Fri 9-6 & Sat 10-5.

Stay tuned for more updates from the “IT Department for Main Street”.

It’s time to embrace the back to school season! Aside from powering through your school supply list, brainstorming lunch ideas, and mapping out the quickest route to school, take some proactive measures in safe-guarding your child’s computer.

Often times overlooked (especially if you’re not shopping for a brand new computer this year), is the health of your computer. Keep these tips in mind and save time (maybe even money!) BEFORE an issue arises.
Top 5 Back to School Computer Tips from Jonny Gould:
• Check for viruses, malware, and spyware. Take the appropriate steps to rid your computer of these malicious threats AND make sure to have a proper anti-virus software installed and up-to-date. Enable security functions, including anti-phishing and pop-up blocking.
• If your child is going away to school, make sure you ask what the connectivity is like on campus. Will they need an Ethernet cable? Or a USB cable to connect a printer directly to the machine should the Wi-Fi act up? (Now might be a good time to mention that their own printer will require their own paper and ink! Not to add more to your plate…)
• Make sure all hardware is up-to-date. Get the battery, system RAM and memory checked. If possible, get a full hard drive test done.

• Run all updates and check for software functionality. A sub-tip to think about, does your student have all the software they need for their specific course load? A graphic design student will require different software (Photoshop) than a student who is geared more toward web design for example (Dreamweaver).

• Plan for the worse (losing data, hard drive crashing). Make sure your child is equipped with a way to BACK UP DATA! We recommend an external hard drive to keep the files safe. Last thing you want is to hear their 50-page report vanished; we know those tragedies all too well here.

Hopefully you will be able to use these computer tips to get ready for the upcoming school year. If you have any questions or want more information, stop in or give us a call, 203-661-1700.