Many people in this area consider him the “go to” guy. And in this age of information and technology that means computers. Meet Dale Thaxton, owner of AmeriTechnologies, located on the old service road at the beginning of Rehoboth Avenue.
Oriented to service and sales in a friendly format, Dale’s business card reads “Teaching Computers to Understand Their Owners.”
According to Dale, “We make the computer do what you want it to do. In our business, we never talk above you, we work with you.”
Being a Delaware native, originally from Dover, Dale and his family spent many summers here at the beach. His father was in the Air Force, so they were very familiar with Fort Miles.
Once his father retired, the family stayed in the area and opened the Avenue Soda Shop in Dover. Dale graduated from high school then spent six years in the Army.
“I love to work with my hands,” he said. “That’s probably part of the reason I ended up in the computer field.”
Dale is a certified mechanic and spent hours working on anything automotive. Eventually, he ended up managing the Midas Muffler shop in Newark.
“I looked at computers as little cars and that’s where the interest started,” he continued.
Next to the automotive store was a computer store and Dale started selling some of their products for them. He did that for about 16 years. This was followed by a succession of jobs in the field, including working for a bank as a desktop support technician.
He took a year off after a divorce and his future plans included a move to Florida. That’s when a computer company in this area contacted Dale to contract some work for them. Along that route, Dale met his fiancée, Jenna, a home healthcare worker, who convinced him his skills were needed here. She urged him to start his own company.
“I opened a little shop behind what was the Cingular business at this location,” Dale says. “I actually slept in the back room.” Eventually Cingular moved and Dale took out his last thousand dollars, plunked down the deposit and moved into the front of the building he now occupies. That’s when he got into the retail part of computers.
“Service is what we are all about. Many people have been misled by technical people. Anyone can fix a computer, but not everyone can repair a computer.”
Dale feels that the difference is that the fix is temporary, but the repair is permanent. You have to get rid of the problem permanently.
Dale also prides his company on same-day turnaround service. “Most clients are surprised to hear their computer will be ready in two hours as opposed to a week. I like to think of us as the Jiffy Lube of computer repairs.”
His philosophy extends to bringing computer language down to earth. “People do get confused with the terminology,” Dale confirms. “I like to explain a word like ‘RAM’ as a wheelbarrow. The more RAMs you have, the more you are able to move.”
If that isn’t enough, Dale also answers call-in questions on a local radio talk show on Friday mornings.
Dale’s other interests include surf fishing and he is a member of the Delaware Mobile Surf Fishermen. You also may have seen Dale grilling outside of Browseabout Books, when Steve Crane has special events. “I love to eat and I love to grill,” he said. “I consider myself a grill master.” Dale has won multiple contests for his crab imperial and deviled eggs.
About the future of computers, he said, “They are going to be around for a long time. The future is all about the new software.” Oh yeah, if you visit his shop, be sure and say hello to the greeter, his chocolate lab named Dixie Belle.
