| Richmond computer
maker dazzles
Virginia Business
March 2004
There’s
a nice buzz that goes with having a hot brand and Randy
Copeland is feeling it. Velocity Micro, his 28-employee
business in Chesterfield County, is
making high-end computer systems that are outshining
big names like Dell and Compaq.
In recent months Velocity Micro computers have earned
gushing praise, including “Editors’ Choice”
awards from PC Magazine and CNET Labs. One reviewer
called the firm’s Raptor Extreme Edition PC the
system “for thumbing your nose at your technologically
inferior friends.”
Copeland, 39, is aiming high. The company did $10 million
in revenue last year and Copeland thinks he can double
that every year for the next three years. “Dell
is a $40 billion a year company, and we’re competing
on generally the same playing ground as them,”
he says.
The company’s current niche is buyers willing
to pay top dollar for the best in multimedia and computer-gaming
technologies. Velocity Micro’s systems are hand-assembled
using high-end components. The Raptor Extreme, for example,
has three hard drives and can cost $10,000. Copeland
wants to increase sales of models in the $1,200 to $1,700
range. “We think there’s tremendous opportunity
there for us.”
The proof that the industry is taking notice comes in
the mail, Copeland says. Top chipmakers now send him
free samples hoping he’ll use them. For now he’s
focused on making the most of his momentum. “There’s
a long way to go. Right now we’re just putting
every ounce of energy back into the business.”
Virginia
Business - March 2004
|
