Huckleberry Press 032416
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March 24, 2016 <strong>Huckleberry</strong> <strong>Press</strong> Page 9<br />
Odessa Office Equipment (OOE):<br />
Locally Provided Internet Service<br />
by Bonnie Stichart<br />
Before their first child was born, Marlon and Melissa Schafer had a dream.<br />
That dream was to raise their children in a rural environment, rather than a big<br />
city. To that end they moved to Odessa. There, in 1995, they found a niche<br />
selling office equipment.<br />
Before long, the Internet became reality. Except in Odessa. It was too<br />
small for the large communication companies to bother with. So Marlon started<br />
providing Internet service in 1997. Within a year he was able to provide<br />
DSL – Digital Subscriber Line – to Odessa Hospital, his first customer. Another<br />
year and wireless service was available.<br />
Marlon knew that people and businesses in small towns would find the<br />
Internet as useful as did people in cities. He turned out to be right.<br />
Because he was right, Odessa Office Equipment no longer sells office<br />
equipment; they sell Internet service. The key word here is “service,” especially<br />
customer service.<br />
We may be in the digital age, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t important.<br />
OOE values its customers; after all, many of them are neighbors and<br />
friends. One reason the customer comes first is because Marlon and Melissa<br />
are the only “investors” in the business. There are no outside investors whose<br />
dividends come before the needs of the customer.<br />
There is no government involvement, either. Utilities are often subsidized<br />
by the government, but Odessa Office Equipment is not, nor has it ever been.<br />
Marlon is justifiably proud of building Odessa Office Equipment himself.<br />
Marlon refuses to hold customers hostage to speed. All OOE Internet<br />
speeds are fast. The customer pays only for the data bits he uses. “The old<br />
model of price control via speed is not working well any more,” Marlon explained.<br />
Odessa Office Equipment owns its own network; the equipment is similar<br />
to cell phone towers. They don’t use satellites, so your information is not<br />
beamed through space. The local network is even better than satellite.<br />
Odessa is in the name, but OOE provides Internet service for a much<br />
larger area. Odessa Office Equipment Internet is available in Lincoln county,<br />
as well as parts of Grant, Adams, Douglas, and Spokane counties. Being local<br />
is a plus in many ways; customers are people, not faceless “consumers,” - when<br />
you meet your Internet service customers while shopping at the local grocery<br />
and attending local events, it is easy to be personal. Much of the money that<br />
comes into OOE is returned to the community.<br />
Marlon wants to stay focused on Internet service, so Odessa Office Equipment<br />
doesn’t sell computers. But Marlon and his employees are more than<br />
happy to advise their customers and help them choose the equipment that will<br />
best serve their needs. OOE will also service and repair computers – both onsite<br />
and remotely.<br />
Besides Marlon and Melissa – who are a team in both their personal and<br />
business lives – Odessa Office Equipment has three employees, both full-time<br />
and part-time. They are all happy to aid a customer’s search for the Internet<br />
service that will be of the most use.<br />
When it comes to community, it’s hard to know where Marlon-the-individual<br />
ends and Odessa Office Equipment starts. Having raised three children<br />
in Odessa, the Schafers are naturally involved in local school and youth activities.<br />
They are also involved in the Lions Club and the Chamber of Commerce;<br />
one of Marlon’s pet projects is the annual Deutschesfest that takes place the last<br />
weekend of September.<br />
Marlon was a founding board member of WISPA – Wireless Internet Service<br />
Providers Association – a national association of independent Internet<br />
providers that helps them deal with government regulations and provide better<br />
service for their customers.<br />
To make contacting them easy, the staff at Odessa Office Equipment can<br />
be reached by phone at 509-982-2181, by e-mail at office@odessaoffice.com, or<br />
you can take a look at what they offer at the website – www.odessaoffice.com.<br />
The website has interesting information on both the history and the future of<br />
Internet service. Customers are always welcome to come into the office, which<br />
is located at 107 S. 1st Street in Odessa. The office hours are 9:00 a.m. to 3:00<br />
p.m. For anyone who is off-the-grid – and doesn’t want to be – the mailing address<br />
is P.O. Box 489, Odessa, WA 99159.<br />
“We like to talk with people,” Marlon said. He also likes that his customers<br />
talk with people. “Satisfied customers are our best sales people,” he added<br />
with a smile.<br />
The Internet is here to stay, and people like Marlon and Melissa Schafer<br />
and Odessa Office Equipment want to keep it affordable and easy to use. Give<br />
him a call, send him an e-mail, or visit him at the office. Local and independent<br />
businesses – such as Odessa Office Equipment – are the type of enterprise<br />
the <strong>Huckleberry</strong> <strong>Press</strong> is proud to support.<br />
IT’S HERE!<br />
Marlon of Odessa Office Equipment at 45 feet in the air, performing a site visit to determine how best to continue<br />
bringing high speed Internet service to rural North East Washington customers. Attaining satisfying Internet<br />
speeds in the country can present a challenge. Marlon and his team make the process of getting a very needed<br />
service in our region much easier. Call Odessa Office Equipment at 509-982-2181 for more information.<br />
High Speed Wireless Internet!<br />
• Now Serving Reardan and Davenport<br />
• Speeds up to 30mbps<br />
• NO CONTRACT HASSLE<br />
• Service plans start at $43/month<br />
• Install as low as $149.95<br />
509-982-2181<br />
odessaoffice.com<br />
ODESSA<br />
OFFICE EQUIPMENT