Computer calling

Joey McQuiston's love for computers and figuring out their problems has grown into a business in downtown Wadena.

Joeys PCs, located at 8 Bryant Ave. SW, opened in March and had a grand opening last week.

The business is an expansion from working out of his home, he said. McQuiston had been working at First National Bank for about five years in data processing and computers at First National Bank.

"I had been doing this on the side the whole time," McQuiston said of the service and repair aspect. "It's been growing and growing. I decided it was worth just hitting it on my own."

McQuiston continues to work on the computers at First National Bank, though.

"It works out good, I'm right next door," McQuiston said of being across the street from the bank.

He has a computer networking degree he received in Wadena. After moving to Fargo for a while, his family returned to Wadena where he said he has filled a niche with his computer work.

Joeys PCs features repair and service of hardware and software.

"Basically any kind of computer service for home users and for businesses," he said.

There is also a small retail area where he keeps in some desktops and laptops available for purchase. He has some new computers, and some old computers.

"A little bit of everything, actually," McQuiston said. "I try to figure out what people want and over the years, I've gotten a pretty good idea of what they like."

Quality is important when looking to purchase a computer, he said.

"There's a lot of low-end computers out there," he said. And McQuiston finds himself fixing problems on a lot of those cheaper computers.

"Quality is real important," he added.

He will help people figure out what type of computer is a good fit and has different levels of computers available at his business.

"I strive for quality," McQuiston said. "That's one thing I'm here for. People know if they get something from me, it's good."

Primarily, McQuiston works on PC computers because that is what most people have and most businesses have. However, there is getting to be more call for Macs because of the popularity of iPods, which he said has made Macs more popular.

The challenge of figuring out a problem is part of the fun in working on computers, McQuiston said.

"It's so fun," he said. "Every one of them is different. There's no two computers alike and there are never the same problems."

Technology continues to change but McQuiston said that it has slowed down in the last few years.

"Around Y2K, that time, everything was just flying," he said. "But the last few years, it's been slowly progressing at a nice pace where people can keep up."

Computers are no longer obsolete two weeks after a person buys one, he said.

When he's not busy working on computers, McQuiston keeps busy as a member of the Wadena planning and zoning commission and as a member of the Wadena Elks Club. He and his wife, Kim, have seven children between the ages of 4 and 15.

Joeys PCs will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.

It is located at 8 Bryant Ave. SW in Wadena. The phone number is (218) 631-1218.

He has a Web site, as well, at www.joeyspcs.com .