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Forever a techy [The Augusta Chronicle, Ga.]
(Augusta Chronicle (GA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Aug. 29--While other children were out playing catch or riding bicycles, Kevin Wade was busy building transistor radios or stringing antennas in the trees in his backyard to capture radio waves.
Years later, Wade's love for technology evolved into intelliSystems, an information technology service business for small and medium-size companies at 1115 Greene St. Five partners are in the business, but Wade is president and the largest shareholder.
"We started out 17 years ago as basically firefighters in the computer business. Customers would call with their four-alarm fires, and we'd go out with sirens blaring and try to fix things," Wade said.
As the industry changed, intelliSystems strived to remain on the cutting edge of technology. The company offers a service called intellAlert, a method of proactive data system management. The goal is to help businesses reach "zero downtime" by monitoring every server, work station and vital network data at the company or practice 24 hours a day, seven day a week.
"I've been in this business 25 years, and that's one of the most innovative things that I've seen," Wade said.
IntelliSystems also assembles private label PCs, which it calls its Nasfera line, sells phone systems and offers Voice Over Internet Protocol.
"That's becoming a larger part of our business and has been for 10 years. More and more, people are wanting more than just a dial tone and voice mail," Wade said.
Vera Stewart, the owner of Very Vera, has been a customer for two years.
"He's a very, very focused businessman. He takes his work very seriously and he cares about his customers. That's why I work with him. He has really put together a strong team for his organization," Stewart said.
Wade has 12 employees.
Stewart said she believes she is receiving the "best treatment possible" whenever someone from the company addresses her technology problems.
"He brings to the table a true reading of the way he describes his business principles. He does what he says he's going to do. He's a professional in every regard," Stewart said.
Fran Blocker, who has worked for several of Wade's clients, met him while he was still working as a technician. When he started his own company, she hired intelliSystems to handle her employers' computer needs.
"They have foresight into what's going to take you forward without spending an unreasonable amount of money. They stand by what they do, and they always fix what you call them for," Blocker said.
Electronics
Wade's family moved to Augusta when he was 2 years old. He was the oldest, with a brother and a sister. His father, Lamar, was an instructor at Fort Gordon. His mother, Bonnie, was a legal secretary.
As a child, Wade loved tinkering with electronic equipment. His favorite Christmas gift was a kit from Radio Shack, which allowed him to assemble different projects with wires and electronic components. He recalls building a two-transistor AM radio.
"I stayed up really late during the summer trying to finish that little project. I was probably 11 years old. It was impressive to me to finally finish it, turn the little knob and boom, there's a radio," Wade said.
His neighbor was an electronic engineer at Fort Gordon and introduced Wade to shortwave radio. Using an antenna kit, Wade was able to connect to his neighbor's receiver.
"I guess I've always been sort of a geek," Wade said.
After high school, Wade enrolled at Augusta College. He also worked at his father's businesses, a nut and candy store at Regency Mall and a restaurant called The Bulldog, so he eventually reduced his class load to part-time.
His father later opened another restaurant, The Dynasty, which Wade ran for one year. That is where he met his wife, DeLane, a college student who was looking for a job as a waitress.
They have been married for 16 years.
While working at the restaurant, Wade took a holiday sales job at ComputerLand.
"I did so well during the Christmas season that I was the No. 2 salesman, even though I was working part time," he said.
He was offered a full-time sales position, so he accepted the job and left college. One year later, he became the operations manager. In 1991, Wade was offered a job as manager at DCT Systems Group, a computer dealer and service center that specialized in Fortune 500 companies and public sector sales and support.
Flying solo
After getting some experience under his belt, Wade launched intelliSystems from his dining room in June 1993.
"I thought what was needed here was a company that catered more to small- or medium-sized companies and their technology needs," Wade said.
He started the business with two credit cards and a total credit limit of $8,000.
"I had to find customers who could pay quickly because I only had a set amount of money that I could use," he said.
His first clients were Medical College of Georgia and Merry Land Investment Co. For 18 months, he was a one-man show. Money was tight, but it was a good time in his life.
"Literally, you could roll out of the bed and start work," he said.
In 1995, Wade incorporated the business and brought in partners who were more technically oriented.
They rented space in downtown Augusta until they purchased their current location in March 2009.
Business basics
Wade said that he learned many businesses lessons "through the school of hard knocks," but in 2002 he returned to school to earn his degree. When he left school the first time, he was on academic probation and had a 1.97 grade point average.
This time, he earned A's in every class, bringing up his overall GPA to a 3.0.
Dee Bruker, the president of Sanford, Bruker & Banks, rented Wade his first office building.
"I think he's a very astute businessman," Burker said. "He's got a great sense of humor. He has a very quick wit. I think he's very dedicated to the community and his job. He knows his industry very well."
Wade has always loved music, and he's part of a five-member Christian band. He sings and plays guitar and banjo for the band, but can also play drums, trumpet and piano.
His dream is for his band to record a CD.
"He's one that you can always count on. I think he's very dependable and will do whatever he can to help you. He's an overall good guy," Bruker said.
To see more of The Augusta Chronicle, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://augustachronicle.com.
Copyright (c) 2010, The Augusta Chronicle, Ga.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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