Peanuts to Profits With Thor Schrock
Peanuts to Profits With Thor Schrock

Schrock Innovations will be offering some amazing deals starting this Friday and going all weekend along through Sunday at both Schrock Innovations locations.

A couple days ago I was on KMTV Channel 3 in Omaha to talk about the great Black Friday Weekend deals at Schrock.

You can read all about the details and get the specifications on the computers in our Black Friday Weekend Event circular.

Some of the items on special include:

• Preventative Maintenance Checkups only $29.99 (regular price $70)
• Norton 360 Installed and Warrantied only $79.99 (regularly $150 – 25 per Service Center)
• Compaq notebook computers only $399 (3 available per Service Center)
• Ultimate Upgrade 2011 Special only $399 (10 available per Service Center)
• $100 off the 2010 Holiday Special Desktop PC (only 16 left per Service Center)
• Free $10 gift card for every $50 gift card you purchase

You can also purchase the discounted Maintenance Checkups or the discounted Norton 360 installation as a certificate. They make a great stocking stuffer and they all display the full retail price of the item. They are redeemable after Christmas 2010 and are an outstanding value!

You can purchase certificates by phone. Click here for the number of the Service Center nearest you.

What is the Ultimate Upgrade?

The Ultimate Upgrade is a special computer that we typically only offer once each year in the spring. With the Ultimate Upgrade you trade in your old, tired computer for a brand new Modular PC for only $399.

For the Black Friday sale we are offering the 2011 Ultimate Upgrade model, which is almost identical to our X3 model that retails at $799.

As you can see, it is an amazing deal that will not last long. There are only 10 available per Service Center.

We are allowing orders by phone on this item. Please understand that we will answer phones as quickly as we can, but we are expecting a massive response Friday morning.

You don’t trade in your old computer until your new one is ready, and no old parts are used in the construction of your new PC.

I am going to be on the KMTV Channel 3 in Omaha during Monday’s Morning Blend program to talk about some of the best Black Friday tech shopping tips and to highlight some of the amazing things Schrock has on special next weekend.

I have been watching all of the Black Friday leaked ads to find out where the best deals are, what time you need to be there and how many of them will be available.

If you are not the get-up-early type, we are also going to tell you about some amazing deals that Schrock Innovations will have all weekend long – starting Black Friday through November 28th.

Unlike the box stores, we don’t get a kick out of watching our customers freeze in the cold for hours just to have a 1 in 100 shot at a sale item that is over-hyped and under-stocked.

Schrock’s Lincoln and Omaha Service Centers will both be opening at our normal business hours (10am to 8pm Friday and Saturday and Sunday noon-5pm).

You can expect some amazing deals including:

• Compaq notebooks for only $399.99 (3 available per Service Center)
• Ultimate Upgrade Desktop Computers for only $399 (10 available per Service Center)
• Norton 360 Installed and Warrantied for only $79.99 (25 per Service Center)
• $10 in FREE Gift Cards for Every $50 You Buy
• PC Preventative Maintenance Checkups for Only $29.99 (all weekend long)
• $100 Instant Rebate off the 2010 Holiday Special Desktop PC
• Register to win a Free 3-night Branson Condo Stay

All of the Black Friday Weekend Event details will be posted online on the Schrock Innovations website. If you want to see the hardware firsthand (and you are in Omaha), be sure to tune into KMTV Channel 3 Monday morning at 9!

Two months before our Omaha Service Center opened we started hiring new technicians to train in Lincoln. Some of those technicians worked out and some did not, but Joe Clark is proving to be a customer service go-to guy and just the kind of employee Schrock needs in Omaha.

Joe had a significant background in network cabling, operations management, and field repair experience at Qwest so we decided to bring him on board for a 90-day trial.

From day one Joe showed professionalism and the kind of concern for our customers’ satisfaction that a tech needs to have to succeed at Schrock Innovations.

Now that the Omaha Service Center is up and running you can find Joe helping customers on the phone, in their homes, and on our benches.

Welcome aboard Joe and thank you for your commitment to Schrock’s customers!

https://www.thorschrock.com/2009/01/31/schrock-innovations-opens-new-service-center-february-10/Sunday morning at 7:00 AM I took to the KFAB airwaves for our weekly Compute This radio show (available free on iTunes) to announce the opening of the Service Center that afternoon.

The show was awesome and I left the studio a little less nervous than when I got up that morning.

A Smashing Success!

We had over 100 people come in that Sunday (10/10/10 no less) and nearly all of them brought computers in for a discounted Preventative Maintenance Checkup.

The Omaha staff did a great job making everyone feel welcome, processing in the computers and making sure everyone got a helping from the Lovely Kimberly’s amazing cookie buffet.

In fact, 11 days later – after the glow of the grand opening had completely passed, our bench is STILL full with an average of 11 computers coming through the service center every day.

What is New in the Omaha Service Center?

In 2008 we built a state-of-the-art Service Center in Lincoln, NE. We got a lot of things right when we built that, but we also could have done a few things differently.

For example, we built the walls in the new Omaha Service Center all the way to the ceiling to help reduce echo, we shortened the distance from the front desk to the front door, and we leased two full bays – one for retail and service and another for repair.

The new configuration allowed us to install 40 bench spots (as opposed to Lincoln’s 26) – and thankfully so. As you can see in the picture above, the bench is full!

What’s Next for Schrock Innovations?

Now that Omaha is launched and moving I am working to catch up on things I have been neglecting (like this blog). We also have some big events coming up soon:

• Our 2010 Holiday Special
• Possibility of a Black Friday Sale
• Significant internal and external website updates
• A new software product that many of our customers have been asking us to make for years

With everything going on with the new Omaha Service Center opening, we haven’t had time to get our latest KFAB Compute This shows edited and posted on the Compute This page of the Schrock website until now.

Two KFAB shows are now available online free from commercial interruption.

You can listen to the August 15, 2010 show here.

You can listen to the August 22, 2010 show here.

We have two other shows in raw audio format that we need to edit. We should have those online this week.

Our KFAB shows are a little different from the shows we air on KFOR. On the KFAB show I do not have a co-host (Chris won’t get up at 5 on Sunday morning to drive to Omaha).

Also, because KFAB covers Lincoln and Omaha, we get callers from all over the state.

The format is a little different, but give it a listen. It has really been catching on in Omaha and I think you will enjoy it.

Over the past two weeks I think I have been busier than at any other point in my life. Most of the work I have been doing surrounds the launch of our new Computer Repair Service Center in Omaha, NE.

We had a big hold up on the permits (over six weeks!) but finally the City of Omaha got us everything we needed and our general contractor was able to get started on our job.

We got a lot of things right when we built our new Lincoln Service Center in 2008. We also overlooked some things that we plan on doing better in the Omaha Service Center. For example:

• Lincoln has too much display space an not enough bench space – Lincoln has 26 bench spots and Omaha will have 40
• While our concrete counters look great, they are hard to keep clean. We decided on stainless steel for Omaha’s display fixtures
• Although our conference room in Lincoln is handy, it is wasted space. We eliminated it in Omaha and replaced it with a high top table and some stools.

With any luck construction should be complete on our bay by the last week of September and we should be ready to service customers by October 3. Stay tuned and I will keep you posted!

The audio for the August 7, 2010 Compute This Radio Show is now available online.

You can right click here to download the audio to your computer or MP3 player.

On this show, Thor and Chris touched on the following topics:

• How different types of computers are designed to be used in different ways
• The Smart Summer of Savings Sale at Schrock Innovations
• Needless babble about Submariners an d the tail end of a Navy guy joke 😉

Computer This airs on the following stations. Each show is a live broadcast and callers are always welcome:

• KFOR 1240 AM on Saturday from 10-11 AM – 489-1240
• KFAB 1110 AM on Sunday from 7-8 AM – 558-1110

Also, don’t miss the Living Digital Show on 1240 AM KFOR Saturdays from 2-5. Thor brings you the latest technology news from a non-technical perspective.

The audio for the July 24, 2010 Compute This Radio Show is now available online.

You can right click here to download the audio to your computer or MP3 player.

On this show, Thor and Chris touched on the following topics:

• Launch of the Smart Summer of Savings Sale Event
• Examples of Great Schrock Service
• Lots of Callers With Great Questions

Computer This airs on the following stations. Each show is a live broadcast and callers are always welcome:

• KFOR 1240 AM on Saturday from 10-11 AM – 489-1240
• KFAB 1110 AM on Sunday from 7-8 AM – 558-1110 (coming August 1st)

Also, don’t miss the Living Digital Show on 1240 AM KFOR Saturdays from 2-5. Thor brings you the latest technology news from a non-technical perspective.

Schrock Innovations has been a staple in Nebraska’s computer repair industry for over 11 years. Testimonials like the one to the left explain how Schrock attained that position and how seriously we take our reputation in the community.

During that time, our Lincoln Service Center has won eight Best of Lincoln awards and this year we were honored as Nebraska’s #1 Customer Service company (out of all Nebraska businesses) by the Nebraska Retail Federation.

Although many of our successes have come from our Lincoln operation, Schrock is no stranger to the Omaha Metro area.

In 2005 we won a Best of Omaha award and we are presently building a $750,000 Service Center at Village Point Mall on 168th and Burke (scheduled for a September opening).

All promotional stuff aside, there are no computer repair businesses like Schrock Innovations in Omaha.

Most computer repair shops are focused on making a quick dollar. They are very willing to help people with their problems, for a price.

At Schrock Innovations we choose a different path. We want to build a relationship with you and earn your trust. Then, when you really need us, you can feel comfortable picking up the phone and asking for help.

That is why we offer a free hour of labor coupon for new customers (just mention it when you call 934-9423), that is why we recycle old computers free of charge, and that is why I get up every Sunday morning to do this show.

Compute This! and Schrock Innovations exist to help you make your computer do what you want it to do.

I am the 100% owner of Schrock Innovations, so when you hear me on the radio you know you are talking to a person who is in our Service Centers every day. I take pride in the fact I know my customers by name and I expect nothing but the best from my staff of trained technicians.

I wanted to start this show a few weeks before we opened our doors for business because building relationships takes time.

All I am asking from you is to listen every Sunday from 7-8 AM.

I promise that you will learn things about your computer that are genuinely interesting and useful. This is not a computer show for techies. This is a show for real people who just want their technology to work.

With that aside, let’s cover one promotional item for the show.

Every person who calls the show Sunday at 558-1110 with a question or comment will receive a free $50 Schrock gift card.

Just call, ask a question, and get a free $50. It’s that easy.

Normally we give away one $25 gift card PER SHOW, so $50 per caller is a VERY rare opportunity. Don’t miss out!

Tune in August 1 from 7-8 AM to Compute This!



Grant Mellor is one of Schrock Innovations‘ newest technicians. Typically a technician must work at Schrock for 90 days before we official assign them to one of the Service Centers.

In Grant’s case we did not have to wait that long to understand that we had a talented technician and a great guy on our hands.

After just a few weeks on the job, Grant has accumulated more customer compliments, thank you notes, and mentions on Compute This than I could possibly list here.

Because of his great technical efforts, his positive attitude, and his committment to providing excellent service, Schrock has assigned Grant to our new Omaha Service Center to help train and coordinate the next generation of Schrock Innovations staff.

Congratulations Grant and thank you for your excellent work!