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With me here today is Adam Reich, Comp-U-Plus CEO. Thanks for joining me, Adam.

1 - Where did the name Comp-U-Plus come from?

My wife Helene, the co-founder of our company thought of the name. She really liked it because she thought that it showed the world all the things we carry - Computer products Plus so much more! I can still remember us discussing this name 16 years ago over our kitchen table.

2 – What has been your biggest inspiration so far?

By far the family of our employees here - we are a family owned business that employs 50 of the finest people in our community. Everybody lives within 5 minutes driving time from our warehouse and offices. They do the greatest job day in and day out. I am constantly inspired by the incredible amounts of dedication and energy they put into the work they do! It’s truly an unbelievable synergy here at work everyday!

Also our loyal customers - when I see the volume of packages that we can ship out any given day and I know that every one of our customers is saving so much money over regular market prices by buying from us it gives me so much inspiration. I really get a thrill when I save people money while giving them top brands. I know it sounds contrived and corny by it’s true!

3 - Comp-U-Plus has been around online far longer than most people have even heard of the word E-Commerce (I personally remember buying peripherals from you in 1997). Can you explain a little about how things were back on the web back then?

Well, we have been advertising on the Web since day 1 in 1992!

We were in Computer Shopper for a year or two in the mid to late 90’s but then became a web only advertiser again after we stopped placing ads there in 98-99, I believe.

The web when we started was really in its infancy, when there were very few e-commerce sites (1992). I think maybe only 1 existed for electronics at the time. We advertised on the web only but took orders over the phone. Gradually we got our site up in the mid 90’s. Very simple listings of our products with email ordering but no shopping cart yet. We launched our site pretty much as you see it now, shopping cart and all, in 1995-1996. This was shortly after the 1 page site went up.

At the time, we were entirely hosted and processed all orders with AT&T, and we were their biggest customer by far, turning in almost $30 million in sales on our first year on the web!

By the end of the 90’s we had taken our site in-house: hosted by some very large providers, but doing all the back-end work ourselves.

We are proud of the fact that we were among the first to be on PC Catalog (later renamed PC Today - the web’s very first shopping comparison site..as all you real old timers probably remember), Price Watch, Price Grabber and most shopping comparison engines. In fact, if you look at some of our competition there on those early dates you will probably see that only a handful remain.
In addition, we SOLD all the computers to Price Grabber when they opened up shop. Jeff Mace, the head of PC labs (a client of ours) assembled their network and their database with our motherboards and hard drives, cases, mice, etc.

Don’t forget that before sites like Newegg.com came along, we were really the only place that cared enough to stock high quality equipment at low low prices. It was our mission early on to be America’s supplier of computer equipment.

4 - What would you say your greatest achievement in Comp-U-Plus has been so far?

Good question. I would say that my greatest achievement has been to lead a company that has always been there to provide the current technological products at the absolute best prices. Since day one, customer service has always been priority number one for me. Just ask my executive staff!
I am proud of that fact that we were the trailblazer in our community for creating and maintaining an employee friendly environment, enabling our working mothers to adjust their schedules in order to create a quality home environment. This brings my wife and myself much personal satisfaction.
History will probably write Comp-U-Plus as a player for being among the first to be on the Web way back in the early 90’s, playing a major role in dynamically changing the way people think about buying tech products! From what started as a computer peripherals business mainly, we have become a trusted partner to our millions of loyal customers who now purchase electronics, as well as automotive, audio, and housewares products from us. As the world changed its focus and buying habits we were right there to service them, and didn’t miss a beat!

5 - According to a report in Internet Retailer, and browsing around the site, I’ve noticed that Comp-U-Plus has also gone into the health & beauty gadgets.

If it’s new and hot and electronic based, look for it on our site! Our buyers are literally searching the world for the latest technological products that people need to make life easier!

6 - What are your goals for the upcoming year?

To expand our product line even more, while keeping a focus on the most popular items. Also, we are looking to make our speedy shipping times and state of the art processing even faster and more efficient. Look out for our introduction of same day shipping and guaranteed NEXT DAY delivery on our website later next month. All at the industries lowest overnight shipping rates.

On the website side, we are striving to make our site’s product page a veritable wealth of info on every product we sell, and we hope to soon provide links to reviews and articles expanding on the shopping comparison feature that we incorporated this past year on the right hand side of our product and category pages.

7 - You really have the low down on all the year’s hottest gadgets What are your favorites for the new year?

I like the cool new SmartShopper - it helps a busy housewife schedule her shopping..my wife is waiting for version 2.0 that will actually go down to the store for you! On my last trip to Florida I took the latest Garmin Nuvi - it was a great experience: all the latest interfaces and traffic reports instantly!

8 - You’ve started off 2008 with a blog, which looks like a really good point of entry into social media. What are your goals for the blog, and do you have any other social media plans you would like to discuss?

I know that the evolution of the Internet will bring the web more and more into the social part of our lives. Look for shopping and social to merge at Comp-U-Plus. We are signing a partnership deal soon with Shogging.com: I believe they are at the forefront of social shopping with their shopping and blogging site!

We really like what Pepperjam and others in this field are doing and are considering new partnerships that will bring us into this venue.

9 - Any final thoughts?
I go to my desk everyday with the youthful fascination of a young techie: walking through the warehouses, making sure we are doing our utmost to get everyone out there the best the tech word has to offer.

Everyday I thank my great staff here at Comp-U-Plus without whom we would never have achieved the Top 100 retailer status for the past 7 years in a row! I’m a deeply religious person as well, so I must thank the Lord above for all His help over the years!

Last but not least: at Home and at work, I have so much gratitude towards my wonderful wife, Helene and my great kids, every one of them. You are the inspiration for everything I accomplish. Thank you!

Thanks very much for your time, Adam!