Today was Power On’s last day open downtown. I’m definitely going to miss it, but growth requires change. For the rest of March, I’ll be transitioning over to the new space at 934 Clark Street. That also includes some significant (and exciting!) changes to the website over the next few weeks.

Finally, I’d also like to reiterate that while the address is changing, our phone number, website, and email address are all remaining the same. And while I’ll be much more mobile than I’ve been able to previously be, which will be a blessing to many customers, that also means if you’d like to meet with me, your best bet is to make an appointment, because I won’t be keeping regular hours anymore.

I hope to see you soon at Power On’s new home!

Dear Customers and Friends,

We are happy to announce that Power On will soon be relocating to the NEO Center at 934 Clark St., Lansing.

This move will allow Power On to shift its services:

• More web development, with website design and setup starting at $200. There’s also a top secret education web app being developed right now that you can look forward to hearing more about in the coming months.
• More classes and other educational programs, including Geek Scouts for high schoolers.
• Tech repairs now by appointment only, so call ahead at 517-798-6098.
• Personalized tech tutoring still available by appointment. Again, call ahead at 517-798-6098.
• No new small business support contracts, but we will accept one-time setup or troubleshooting jobs.

Between now and April 1, we are accepting only a limited number of new jobs so that we can focus on the move. However, you can call us any time at 517-798-6098 to make an appointment or get emergency support.

We’ve really enjoyed our time downtown and would like to thank the community, our landlord and everyone else for the great help they’ve been in helping Power On prosper. We look forward eagerly to the next stage in Power On’s development and hope you do too!

Sincerely,

Chris Fritz, Founder/Operator & Tom Stewart, Founder/Partner
Power On, LLC

Mark your calendars, because if you live in the Greater Lansing area, you’ll be able to throw away all your electronic junk, for free, on September 8th, 2012.

But wait – what if you just have an old computer that still works and you just don’t want it anymore? Well, we’ll take that for free (as long as it’s not too old!), make sure your data is completely wiped, then refurbish it for a good cause. Otherwise, full details of the event can be found on the City of Lansing website.

• E-Waste constitutes 70% of the toxic waste in our landfills.
• Only 20% of our e-waste is currently recycled.
• Many Americans, including children, live without access to a computer in an age where it’s an increasingly vital tool.

What do all those problems have in common? You can help solve them, by joining us on January 26th, 5:30pm to 8:30pm, at St. Stephen’s Community Church.

Bring your old computer and other electronics. If it’s working, we’ll securely wipe it clean, reload it, and reuse it. Otherwise, we’ll recycle it. Cell phones are going to women’s shelters and computers are going to community educational programs and families that don’t currently have a computer.

If you’re interested, check out the full details on the official press release, including opportunities to volunteer and more details on what we’ll be accepting.

Hear ye, hear ye! Due to yuletide and other such celebrations, Power On will not be open on the following dates:

• December 23rd
• December 26th
• December 30th
• January 2nd

If you need urgent help on these days, feel free to call 517-798-6098 and leave a message, or email me at fritzc@poweronlansing.com, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Happy holidays!

If you don’t grow up with regular access to a computer these days, you have a huge disadvantage. And as someone who’s worked in the Lansing schools, I can tell you that there are probably more of these kids than you think. But instead of leaving them all behind, the Computers for Kids program is trying to bridge the digital gap in the Greater Lansing Area.

But we can only help as many children as we have computers. So if you have a working computer you’re not using, please consider bringing it to us at 114 W. Allegan in downtown Lansing. We’re looking for working monitors, mice, and keyboards, as well as working computers with the following minimum requirements:

• Pentium 4 processor
• 512 MB memory
• 40 GB hard drive

If you have a computer you’re not sure meets the requirements, you can also call us at 517-798-6098 or bring it in. We’ll let you know.

If you’re worried about the information already on your computer, your privacy is safe with us. We completely wipe every computer before loading them up with non-proprietary software, including games and educational programs.

Make the call and change a life.

Capital Gains just posted a wonderful article about Power On this week. If you haven’t already, you should check it out. Natalie Burg over there did a fantastic job at turning my rambling over the phone into an excellent representation of what we’re all about. You folks rock!

We just signed the lease on 114 W. Allegan on Wednesday and since then, Power On and its friends have been hard at work getting it ready.

The following people, especially, have dedicated a lot of time since we got the keys to our new home. This work has often been very early in the morning and wasn’t always fun, but they all put in hours of hard work anyway. We wouldn’t be opening without them, so I’d like to take some time now to thank these folks, in alphabetical order:

• Doreen Fritz (my mom, putting in more hours than anyone else and often doing the hard jobs no one else wants to volunteer for)
• Gary Fritz (my dad, coordinating all the moving and building of furniture and responsible for so many other little touches that are going to make Power On rock)
• Jack Fritz (my brother, spending his whole Saturday putting together furniture and really making this hard work more enjoyable)
• Katie Fritz (my wife, running all over the place picking stuff up, looking over colors, and giving me invaluable advice on anything else aesthetic)
• Meg Kurose (my cousin, who just flew in from Rhode Island, then immediately started running out in the rain to throw stuff in the dumpster, then helped us build the last of the furniture when our energy was waning)
• Paul Kemennu (Intern Extraordinaire, responsible for a lot of the painting and building of furniture and helping me figure out everything behind the scenes)
• Tom Stewart (part owner of Power On, stopping by every spare moment he had to pick up the slack on all the projects we had going)

You’re all awesome! Thanks for making Power On greater than I ever could have without you.

Our blog is for people who ask questions.

Here at Power On, we’re skeptical. We take a good look at our technology, organizations, and ways of thinking, and stop to ask the tough questions.

• Does this technology complicate things more than it helps?
• Does this system keep people effective, or just busy?
• Does this way of thinking really help us get to the root of the problem – and actually solve it?

We examine these tools – whether they be technological, organizational, or mental – and try to figure out not only if they’re useful, but also when and for whom they’re useful. But we don’t have all the answers – we just start the conversation.

We also want to hear from you. So if you disagree with us or have your own stories to add, please don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments. Why keep your wisdom to yourself?