Vivacity Tech Buy TechUnwreck

Today, May 2, Vivacity Tech of St. Paul, MN has purchased TechUnwreck of Chicago, IL.

TechUnwreck customers should know that initially there will be almost no change - the same great people, fixing the same devices, in the same location. Over time, there will be some significant improvements for TechUnwreck customers.

Let's take a deeper look at what Vivacity Tech has to offer...

More Resources & Faster Shipping

TechUnwreck has 9 employees at its single location in Chicago. Vivacity Tech has 130 employees at 4 locations in the United States: St. Paul, MN, Greenville, SC, Denver, CO, and now Chicago, IL. This means Vivacity can offer a significant increase in repair capacity and faster shipping times for TechUnwreck's Southeast & West Coast customers.

More Products & Services

Vivacity Tech was started in 2018 by Eli Maloley and centers around providing K-12 schools Chromebooks, and adding a variety of products & services to support those devices.

A short aside... Eli got his start at a Silicon Valley tech startup in 2008 and in 2011 moved to St. Paul, MN to start his own company in the K-12 TechEd space. He left that business in 2017, and after taking a year off with family, came back and founded Vivacity Tech.

Their goal is to help K-12 schools manage their fleet of devices for the entire lifecycle. TechUnwreck customers will now have access to these extra services and products:

1. They sell Chromebooks. Vivacity also offers white glove configuration, custom engraving, and asset tagging. Basically, pull Chromebooks out of the box and hand them to students.

2. Chromebook repairs. Obviously this is something TechUnwreck does but in addition to accidental damage repair, Vivacity Tech is authorized to do manufacturer warranty repairs on Chromebooks. This means a single company for all your repair needs - accidental damage, out-of-warranty, or warranty repairs.

3. An aftermarket device warranty. It includes a blue light blocking screen protector and carrying case. It also gives your repairs high priority which usually results in a 4-day turnaround time.

4. They manufacture and sell their own line of accessories: backpacks, soft carrying cases, and charging solutions (carts, cabinets, and mobile charging stations).

5. Parts & tools for schools doing their own Chromebook repairs.

6. A professionally designed curriculum called Student Repair Academy. This helps schools implement their own student run repair center - great repair solution and an excellent way to expand students' educational opportunities.

7. Device buyback & recycling. This includes being R2v3 certified which means they must recycle and dispose of all electronic equipment following the highest standards for environmental protection, data privacy and wiping, as well as facility and workforce safety.

8. An award winning customer portal for managing assets. From inventory management to repair tracking to customer support and more. This software is something TechUnwreck customers have been requesting for years.

Public Benefit Corporation

One of the core reasons TechUnwreck decided to sell our business to Vivacity Tech was their commitment to employees, customers, the community, and the environment. This philosophy of care is why Eli set up Vivacity as a Public Benefit Corporation from day one.

What does it mean to be a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC)?

According to Eli, a common refrain in the PBC world is: People, Planet, and Profits. Having spent several months working with Vivacity, I can tell you this isn't just corporate speak. They really live these values and you can see that in all aspects of their business.

For example, one of their first hires was a Head of People and today, with 130 employees they have 5 full-time HR staff members. That is unheard of in industry and a testament to how seriously they take building a happy workforce. And this is inline with the TechUnwreck philosophy that if you make your employees happy, they will create happy customers, and happy customers mean a solid bottom line.

A few more examples of how they are walking the walk:

1. Each employee is encouraged to volunteer - with pay - up to 96 hours per year.

2. They offer a $1,000 per year stipend to all employees for outside education & certifications.

3. Great benefits for all their employees that includes health/dental/vision insurance, 401K with matching, flexible & generous vacation, and competitive pay.

4. Designed their own green shipping boxes that can be reused multiple times & significantly reduce the waste of packaging materials (and they are super convenient for customers).

Lastly, and this should never be underestimated: Vivacity has built an amazing work environment. From the office & warehouse design to the people everyone works with, it's just a great place to be!

Why TechUnwreck?

There are some benefits TechUnwreck will bring to Vivacity:

1. Team. Eli mentioned that one of the first things that attracted him to TechUnwreck was our reputation in the industry (TechUnwreck started as Jet City Device Repair in 2008 and has been serving schools since 2011) and our own commitment to building a great team. This is something we are both very much aligned on and proud of achieving.

2. Location. Vivacity was already looking to expand into the Chicago area and now they have a location with a well trained and reliable staff. This will make servicing Vivacity's Chicago area customers easier & faster.

3. Customers. TechUnwreck has good relationships with100's of customers all over the US. Not only will those customers continue to receive the same great service they're used to, but should also have access to many more services that Vivacity offers.

4. iPad repair. TechUnwreck has been fixing iPads since 2011, and Vivacity will now be able to bring that expertise to their customers.

What's Next?

In the short-term, there will be few if any discernible changes to the service TechUnwreck customers experience. Longer term, there will be faster repair services, better software, and more products & services to consider. And all of that from a company, Vivacity Tech, that embraces the same spirit of running a business that makes people's lives better - employees, customers, our environment, and the community.