OSKALOOSA —
Jake Barnes grew up tinkering with computers and he’s turned his hobby into a business — MPTIowa, Inc.
Barnes, 28, opened MPTIowa at 110 N. E St., the old Farm Service Building on A Avenue, in February. He has 12 years of experience with computers and information technology.
“We do IT consulting for small to medium businesses, PC repair as well as hardware and software sales for businesses and consumers,” Barnes said.
Barnes and Ryan Septer serve the computer needs of their clients and they have an office assistant to run the main office. They serve clients in Mahaska County, Southeast Iowa and across the country.
Barnes said he got his start in computers thanks to his older brother. When his brother came home on leave from the U.S. Air Force, he would have Barnes help up upgrade their home computer. “Figure it out” was the operative phrase when Barnes and his brother tinkered with computers.
Then, in high school, worked for Faster Image. He did a lot of personal computer repair and he built computers for Faster Image.
“I did the school to work program” in high school and worked at Clow in the IT Department, Barnes said. He worked with networks and servers there.
After graduation, Barnes worked for TD&T for a couple of years and then he moved on to ArrowQuick to work there a couple of years before he decided to open his own business.
Septer has a bachelors of science degree in information technology from AIB and four years of experience working with information technology at Emerson Process Management.
In May, MPTIowa Inc. purchased the IT Services Division of ArrowQuick Solutions and provided a seamless transition for the clients.
“We purchased their client list,” Barnes said.
Barnes said he would like to eventually expand his staff to help with the workload.
Barnes said that if anyone has a computer question to give MPTIowa a call. They can be reached by phone at (641) 676-4335. Their Web site is www.mptiowa.com. They also have a Facebook page.
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Herald Editor Duane Nollen can be reached by email at oskynews@oskyherald.com
Local News
Related Photos
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Jake Barnes stands behind the counter at the MPTIowa offices at 110 N. E St., Oskaloosa. He opened the business in February. Herald photo by Duane Nollen
September 4, 2012
Young entrepreneurs part 1: Turning a hobby into a business
Editor’s note: This is the first part of a four-part weekly series focusing on young entrepreneurs who live and work in Oskaloosa.
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