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ABC Computers outgrows its Waupaca facility

ABC Computers, a business consulting and computer services firm, is reducing the amount of office space it uses in its Waupaca facility.

The company plans to transform the facility into a multi-tenant office building and lease the unused space.

Located in a 15,000-square-foot facility on 1990 Godfrey Drive, ABC Computers has called Waupaca home for 28 years. The company built its current location on the 5-acre site in 2005.

ABC Computers has experienced significant grown and now has four locations. In addition to the Waupaca headquarters, ABC has offices in Onalaska, Rhinelander, and South Bend, Ind.

To meet growing demand for IT services in eastern Wisconsin, the company plans to add a fifth office in Appleton in the first quarter of 2012. The new location will serve as a local meeting place for many ABC employees who already live in that area.

“There’s no need to worry; ABC Computers does not plan to leave town. Waupaca will continue to serve as our company headquarters,” said owner and CEO, Donavan Lane. “We’re simply adjusting our footprint to better meet the changing needs of our customers and employees.”

Change happens quickly in the high tech industry. The market was very different, even just six years ago when ABC moved into the building. For a high tech business to remain successful, it must adapt quickly and keep up with business trends.

It is change that has prompted ABC to transform their Waupaca facility into a multi-tenant office building.

“When we built the office, I expected to recruit talent from all over and re-locate them to Waupaca,” Lane said. “I envisioned our entire staff working from the same location, but our growth didn’t happen that way.”

ABC hired 10 new employees this year alone, but none of them live or work in Waupaca. In fact, only 7 of the company’s total team members work from the company headquarters on a daily basis. The others are onsite with customers, report to satellite offices or work from home.

“One of ABC’s competitive advantages is that we respond to customer IT problems in 1 hour or less,” ABC’s Technical Services Director Ben Bolte said. “A lot of times we can fix an issue remotely, but sometimes we need to drive to customers’ site and work directly on their computers and network. Wisconsin is a big state. It’s impossible get from Waupaca to all of our customers’ sites in less than 60 minutes.”

As a result, ABC has opened several smaller offices across the state, dispersed their staff, and adopted technology that enables their remote workforce to collaborate online — the very same technology they now provide customers. With Microsoft Unified Communications, ABC’s team members have anywhere access to email, documents, contacts, and calendars. It also allows them to easily conduct video/audio calls, share their computer desktops and web conference.

“Having several smaller offices instead of one big office, allows us to spend more face-time with customers and less time on the road,” ABC’s Business and Finance Director Mark Christie said. “Our drive times have gone way down, productivity has gone way up and everyone is much happier – customers and employees alike.”

ABC plans to maintain a head office in Waupaca. Having lived in Waupaca for 29 years, the company’s CEO has no intention of leaving his roots. However, it no longer makes sense for the company to occupy such a large facility.

ABC is working with Grubb & Ellis to convert the building into multi-tenant office space or sell it with the option to lease back a portion of the 15,000 square footage. If another company needs the entire building, only then would ABC move its headquarters.

“It’s a beautiful building,” Lane said. “I’ve loved coming to work here each day. I’m sure the additional occupants and their customers will enjoy it as much as we have. Who knows; maybe it will bring them as much good fortune as it has ABC Computers.”

Businesses interested in leasing or purchasing the executive office space can contact ABC Computers at 715-258-6000 or Grubb & Ellis representative Pat Connor at 920-560-5074.

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