About ComputerSmith
I'm Robert Smith, the creator and owner of ComputerSmith of Puget Sound. I provide technical support and consulting services, but I focus on providing outstanding service through combining analytical skills with intuition and empathy.
Being a computer consultant requires knowing more than the technical aspect of the business. It also includes being able to read people and to take account of who they are and what they are telling you.
When you want computer services there is a huge advantage in dealing with the same person every time. This being the case I get to learn something of who you are and the way you operate and I can. therefore, give you what you need. My focus is on the all important personal support that is typically hard to find these days.
The main puropse of this website is to help you decide whether I am a person with whom you wish to do business.
If you'd like more information, please contact me.
Background
Of all the businesses I’ve been involved in, I can say being a computer consultant is the one I have enjoyed the most. I’ve been professionally involved in the field since 1986.
I grew up near Boston in Brookline, Massachusetts. By 1968, I had created a very successful auto-repair facility in Berkeley, California. (The original 8' x 3' hand-painted sign from the "Cosmic Tinker Shoppe" currently hangs on the wall of my computer Tech Shop.) After a couple of years of living in Berkeley and dealing with 60’s craziness, I moved the shop to Ashland, Oregon, where it was consistently booked at least 30 days in advance.
Nine years later, I sold the Cosmic Tinker Shoppe and started an acrylic fabricating company that manufactured bulk food dispensers for major corporations through out the US. It had expanded to employ eight people within four years.
After I sold the plastc manufacturing company in 1984 I purchased a new IBM XT computer and played with it for a while. The IBM XT ran at a zippy 3 megahertz (compared to today’s 3.6 gigahertz) and had one 360K floppy drive. When I upgraded it to 6 megahertz and added a 1.2 mg floppy drive, I couldn’t imagine ever needing more. Enamored of this marvelous device, I "tinkered" with it for about a year, figuring it had to lead me to another business endeavor.
I created a computerized public kiosk that linked Ashland’s tourists to local accommodations and restaurants. By 1987, I had six kiosks in operation, and seventy-five percent of all the tourist-oriented businesses in Ashland were paying me an annual fee to advertise in the system.
The Town Crier, as it was called, proved to be quite popular. Soon, it evolved into Town Crier Information Systems, a full-fledged computer consulting business where I programmed custom databases, provided service to businesses, and designed custom computer systems.
In 1989, I sold the Town Crier and moved to the Seattle area, where I landed employment with the now-defunct Master Computer Company. At that time, Master Computer had the computer service contract for the King County government. I was hired as head Field Technician, and I installed and serviced computers throughout King County. It was a great way to get to know my new home.
Being self employed for most of my life I didn't really enjoy working for someone else, so within a year, I decided to restart my consulting business here in Seattle. Being a "Stranger In A Strange Land" I starved for the first five years, but I got through the hard times because I truly enjoyed my work. By 1995, I had a long list of very loyal clients, and to-date, there are many of the same clients still keeping me quite busy.
One of the reasons my business is successful because I always keep in mind the old adage “People will forget what you say, and they will forget what you do, but they will never forget how you make them feel.” My goal is to make you glad that you hired me. My reward is the smile on your face when you write the check. This is what I mean by “Computer Service and Support Beyond Your Expectations.”