Tech Connect Plus

Photo: Art Sidner

North Mankato: Tech Connect Plus

Nathan Stolt has strayed a bit far from the plans he made as an undergrad. The New Ulm native started out studying illustration at MSU-Mankato, but all that changed when he purchased his first computer in 1994: an Apple Performa 550. He ended up taking the whole thing apart and putting it back together to figure out how it worked.

“It slowly snowballed into something that I ended up finding I had a real passion for,” Stolt said.

That passion grew so much that he dropped his studies to focus on teaching himself how to repair computers. He was most interested in Apple products, eventually becoming an Apple Certified Macintosh Technician. He joined the Mac support team at the Taylor Corporation in 2004, where he stayed for another nine years.

By 2012, Stolt decided it was time for him to open his own business. He and business partner Angie Schimek started Tech Connect Plus that year, offering computer repair and setup services.

Stolt said his business stands out because the focus is on Mac computers instead of PCs (though he does offer repair services for PCs). With the nearest Apple store more than an hour away, Stolt quickly built up a grateful customer base.

At first, Stolt worked out of his home, then out of a “closet-sized” office in the Greater Mankato Growth building. However, as his customer base grew, he began offering more services, such as helping find buyers for people who wanted to sell their Mac computers. At this point, Stolt realized he needed more space so he could cut out the middleman work and just sell refurbished Mac computers on his own.

“It became pretty obvious that it’s hard to have people come into your little closet,” he said.

In July, Tech Connect Plus moved into a new building space on Commerce Drive. So far, business is good. In fact, Stolt said there have been times when he’s run out of product.

“It just goes to show that we’re on the right track,” he said. “It’s been steadily growing, and we can’t ask for much more than that.”

Tech Connect Plus

Address: 1754 Commerce Drive, Suite 104
Telephone: (507) 317-0581
Web: techconnectplus.com