TechCavalry moves offices
Saturday, January 15, 2005
By WILLIAM FREEBAIRN
wfreebairn@repub.com

TechCavalry, an in-home coputer repair business, has moved to a new headquarters and is planning to launch franchises in other parts of the region.

The four-year-old company celebrated the opening of its new headquarters on Bridge Street yesterday.

The company, which now has offices in Worcester as well, outgrew its facility in the Florence section of the city, said president Jef Sharp. The company has taken space on the first floor of a building on Bridge Street close to the Connecticut River.

There is more roomm for the 8 technicians and four other employees who work there. The company employs four more technicians in the Worcester area and has a part-time employee in Boston.

In addition, the new location is within a few yards of Interstate 91 on ramps, ideal for a company that has to respond quickly to those with computer difficulties. "Because almost everything is a crisis, it's important to be as close to the customer as possible," Sharp said.

Sharp said the company is considering offering a franchise in the Hartford area. Under a franchies agreement, an investor buys the right to open a branch of the company in a specified region and share profits with the company.

"Once we establish a successful franchise in Hartford, that model and processes could be established nationwide," Sharp said.

Sharp and partner Jeff Hausthor launched TechCavalry in 2001. The company sends technicians to homes and businesses to resolve computer hardware, software, network and security problems for an hourly fee.

Duringan open house yesterday at the new offices, the company offered free computer repair services to people bringing their computers in. The company offered services totaling $3,000 to visitors, Sharp said.