When Scott Martin first decided that he needed to open his own computer repair shop 10 years ago, he never envisioned that it was going to turn out quite the way it has.
You see, Martin, who lives in Ishpeming, figured from the start that he would use his house as his base of operations and travel from home to home, repairing computers while driving a customized ambulance. To that end, he came up with the name PC Medic.
Fast forward a decade and the ambulance is parked out front still--though it doesn't make house calls and it's not in front of his house. Instead, it's right in the parking lot of his own storefront right on the busiest corridor of traffic in Marquette County.
"I love being right on the highway where everyone can see us," says Martin of
PC Medic's US 41 West location, right across from Snyder Drug in Ishpeming and next door to Meyer Yamaha. "This is such a great place to have a business. A lot of loyal customers have come through those doors time and time again. I don't know where I'd be without them."
The storefront is one of two that Martin's company has. The other, also located on US 41, is in Marquette right next door to the Villa Capri Italian restaurant. Business has steadily been growing for the past two years that the location has been open.
Martin talks fondly of the people who have helped make his business a success, and it's obvious that he cares for the community that has supported him. PC Medic has hosted fund-raising efforts for the victims of wildfires as well as a program to donate computers to kids who need them.
"I love this community," Martin says. "I live here and I work here. Of course I'm going to help out whenever I can. That's part of being in a community. That's what I love about the West End."
Martin also knows there are a lot of people facing tough economic times, and while it's harder to go out and help directly, he's come up with a program to help them keep a few dollars in their pocket. For the entirety of the year celebrating PC Medic's 10th anniversary, repair services are going to be cut 20 percent.
"We know how the economy is right now," says Martin. "We're well aware how tough it is when something goes wrong and you have to find a way to pay to have it fixed. We're going to keep our prices down all year and, hopefully, long after that. We want to help, and this is the best way we know how."
Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Scott Martin, PC Medic
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