New Name Of The Game

Jeffrey Leventhal, president and CEO of the New York-based online services network, said the company hasn't yet finalized its new name but will do so early next year.

"If we made one mistake, it's in the name of the company," said Leventhal, noting that only 6 percent of ComputerRepair.com's service calls involve break-fix. "We want a name that doesn't pigeonhole us into one corner like it does today."

The vast majority of the company's work is moves, adds, changes and new installations, he said, adding that in the past six months the services most in demand were installation of routers, wireless routers and hot spots. Leventhal said more than 90 percent of the services provided by ComputerRepair.com come through VARs.

Leventhal declined to reveal the company's annual revenue but said it expects to handle in excess of $100 million worth of service calls in 2006. The company receives an $11 fee for each service call and 10 percent of the service engagement charge on the back end from the service provider, he said.

ComputerRepair.com has a national network of member VARs and service providers with more than 11,000 technicians, Leventhal said.

The planned name change comes just a week after ComputerRepair.com added longtime Hewlett-Packard channel and global SMB executive Kevin Gilroy as a strategic consultant.

Leventhal said the addition of Gilroy means that the company now has a seasoned executive who knows how the channel works and has great relationships with solution providers.

Gilroy said he will look at expanding the number of VARs that are part of ComputerRepair.com's services network as well as striking alliances with new customers. "In the small, medium and enterprise space, we believe VARs are the right route to market," Gilroy said.

He also plans to talk to CDW about using ComputerRepair.com's network of service providers. "We will talk to CDW," Gilroy said. "It's an opportunity for CDW, no doubt about it."

Pete Busam, vice president and COO of Decisive Business Systems, an HP solution provider in Pennsauken, N.J., said he hasn't explored a relationship with ComputerRepair.com in the past, but he'll now take a look because he worked with Gilroy at HP. "It's all about relationships," said Busam.