f it seems the recent exit of MicroSolutions computer resale and local business market has left the city of DeKalb scrambling for a reliable place to take their computers, think again.

The recent closing of the MicroSolutions retail department, 132 W. Lincoln Highway, has left the impression to many that MicroSolutions closed altogether.

Jack Moloney, executive vice president and general manager, said that despite a major portion of MicroSolutions is closing, the company itself still is running very well with nearly all its veteran employees on hand.

“We pulled out of retail sales during September of 2001,” Moloney said. “People who bought computers under warranty from us still needed assistance, so we kept the systems branch open another year to accommodate them.”

“But there’s more to MicroSolutions than what most people know,” Moloney said. He said that’s where the misconception stemmed.

MicroSolutions remains a distributor and producer of add-on drives to PCs, such as hard drives, CD-ROM drives and DVD drives. Since the early-to-mid ’80s, MicroSolutions has assembled, packaged and sold its name-brand Backpack drives to major distributors like Best Buy around the U.S. and Canada.

Moloney said that while this aspect of MicroSolutions continues to succeed, the competition of larger stores eventually made the closing of its retail store inevitable.

“There’s more of a commodity product being sold from those larger retails such as a Wal-Mart,” he said.

Moloney said there will be a transition from MicroSolutions to the opening of new computer systems facility Cyber Savior, which is owned and managed by President and CEO David Hershberger.

“Dave spent 20-some years with us and he knew when we would close down and decided to stay with us until the shut-down date,” Moloney said. “Then he started his own business. He never left us hanging.”

The newly opened Cyber Savior, 12948 Route 38, East Suite 1, in Cortland, has Hershberger anticipating a carry-over from MicroSolutions with a similar customer base and commitment.

“I’ve taken a lot of the customers from those I’ve worked with over the years,” Hershberger said. “It’s good for customers to have continuity so they can trust who they go to for technical support.”

With certification from Microsoft Corporation and many years of computer service experience, Hershberger said his company, as of right now, will focus primarily on computer hardware service, upgrades and repairs while later considering a computer systems retail business.

Hershberger said another benefit of his business is how few computer service stores are around here.

“There used to be three or four shops,” Hershberger said. “Most shops are fading because they base income on sales and can’t compete with larger markets.”

Moloney also said Hershberger locally has a one-of-a-kind business going for him.

“He’s been doing this for so long around here, so he has a good clientele,” Moloney said. “We wish him the best.”